Unicorn Child
by Felinity
Summary: AU What if Voldemort had killed Lily and James Potter but only attacked Harry 3 years later?At the age of 4, after defeating Voldemort, Harry is alone and scared and runs away. He is taken in by a herd of unicorns. Will he ever return to "his kind" again?
1. Prologue

Unicorn Child  
  
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Disclaimer:  
  
All the characters you recognise belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the plot!!!  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
Prologue  
  
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It was a warm, beautiful autumn evening at Godric's Hollow. The birds were singing merrily, and nothing could disturb the peaceful atmosphere. The sky was a thousand different shades of red, orange and purple and the setting sun seemed to smile down upon the three people in the garden.  
  
"James! Get down here, dinner's ready!" Lily Potter watched with a smile as her husband swooped down on his broom and landed smoothly beside her. Harry, their one-year-old son, clapped his hands happily and grabbed a fistful of his mother's hair.  
  
"Ouch! Harry, let go!" Harry giggled and released Lily's hair. "Gaa, oomph." He declared earnestly. Lily and James chuckled and went into the house. They all had a wonderful dinner of beef casserole and after that went into the living room.  
  
Lily and James talked about Harry, the weather, Harry, Lily's horrible sister Petunia, Harry, life back at Hogwarts and anything else that came to their minds, like Harry.  
  
But there was something else on their minds, something that was so dark, so horrible, so cold and so evil, that not even that beautiful evening sun could dispel it: Lord Voldemort.  
  
As much as they tried to prevent it, as much as they tried to get on with their lives like normally, Lily and James were worried. They knew that Voldemort was after Harry and James, that's why, one week ago, they had gone into hiding. Peter Pettigrew was their secret keeper, after Sirius had declined, saying that Voldemort would suspect it was him. Lily and James were worried about their friends. What if Voldemort captured them and tortured them for information? Or even killed them? Lily and James knew that they would never be able to forgive themselves should something happen to their friends because of them.  
  
It was dark now. The sun had vanished behind the mountains surrounding the small village of Godric's Hollow, and with it had gone the hope and the light that had taken the Potters' minds off things.  
  
It was quiet outside. Eerily quiet. There were no animals moving about, no owls hooting in the nearby forest. There were no lights on in the other houses of the village, the people had shut their doors and windows firmly and pulled their curtains closed. Even the wind, it seemed, had stopped blowing, and the moon had vanished behind impenetrable dark clouds. There was death in the air, death and fear so thick that you could almost touch it.  
  
"James?" Lily whispered into the dark and quiet living room. "Yes, dear?" her husband answered. "I'm scared," Lily admitted. She heard the soft rustle of cloth, then James was sitting next to her and Harry and hugged them. "I know, love," he said quietly, "so am I. But don't worry, we are safe. Voldemort can't find us here."  
  
Lily nodded, even though she was not convinced, and hugged Harry a little closer. The small child seemed to sense that something was wrong and was being unnaturally quiet.  
  
They sat in silence for a while. They could hear the clock in the hallway chime once. It was eleven-thirty.  
  
'BOOM!' Lily and James jumped up and Harry gave a little whimper. 'CRASH!' This time, there was no doubt. Someone was attempting to break down the front door. James ran over to the window, peering through the gap in the curtains. When he turned around again, his face was chalk white and panic was written all over it.  
  
"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" Lily clutched her son to her chest. "James, no! We'll go together!" James cupped her cheek with his hand. "Lily, listen to me! Please! Do it for Harry!"  
  
Lily stared into his blue eyes for a moment, tears already running down her face. She nodded, quickly, and gave her husband one last kiss. Then, she started up the stairs towards the little store room where she knew James kept his most prized possessions, including his invisibility cloak and, more importantly, his broomstick.  
  
Downstairs, she could hear the door crash open and knew that HE was in the house.  
  
Lily ran faster, cursing the house for being so large. She had a plan. She would take the broom and cover Harry with the invisibility cloak, then she would fly down the stairs, leave Harry on the first landing, grab James onto the broom and fly up the stairs again at top speed, then she would get Harry and together they would flee out of the great hall-window on the first floor before Voldemort would know what had hit him.  
  
The plan was risky, but good. There was only one thing Lily hadn't thought of, one flaw in her plan. And that flaw was that broomsticks weren't designed to carry two fully-grown people.  
  
The plan worked perfectly in the beginning, Lily found the broom and the cloak. She even managed to grab James' arms and haul him onto the broom. But that's when things started to get wrong.  
  
The broomstick started to jerk and spin uncontrollably, and neither Lily nor James managed to get it under control.  
  
Then, Voldemort came out of his daze and started to hurl curse after curse at the two Potters. And the final straw was the wall: The broom had obviously decided that, under the current circumstances, committing suicide was the best option and crashed right into the solid stone wall. Wood splinters flew everywhere, hitting all three people in the room.  
  
The silence that followed was suffocating. Lily and James were sitting on the floor staring up at Voldemort dazedly, and Voldemort was standing there, pointing hid wand at the spot where the broom had been only seconds before, for the first time in his entire live completely speechless.  
  
Had the situation not been so grave, it might have been comical  
  
Unfortunately, it was Voldemort who recovered from the shock first. "Well," he hissed, his eyes narrowing menacingly, "Nice try. But you should have known better. There is no escaping Lord Voldemort. You two have defied me one too many times. Especially you, James. Letting the heir of Gryffindor live is of too great risk for me. I can't have you ruining my plans all the time, can I?"  
  
Voldemort sneered down upon Lily and James, a mad glint clearly visible in his eyes.  
  
"Say goodbye, Potter!" And with that, Voldemort pointed his wand at James and spoke the two most horrible magical words in existence. "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
A flash of green light came out of his wand and flew straight at James. James was still too dazed to move, there was no way for him to avoid being hit with the curse. The Unforgivable hit him squarely in the chest and James Potter crumpled on the floor. He was dead.  
  
Lily was jolted back to the present, feeling as though someone had just torn her heart out. "JAMES!" she screamed, "NOOOOOOO!"  
  
Voldemort started to laugh. High, cold laughter full of evil filled the house, sending shivers down Lily's spine. In the dark corners of the giant mansion, spiders began to scuttle around frantically, desperately trying to hide from the evil man, and up on the stairs little Harry was frozen with terror.  
  
A few moments later, Voldemort stopped laughing and fixed his attention back on Lily. "Now," he said in a dangerously low voice, "unless you want to meet the same fate your as your husband," Voldemort sneered down at the still figure of James, "I suggest that you tell me where the child is."  
  
Lily blanched. No way. There was no way she would tell this..... this monster where her precious little son was.  
  
"Child?" she asked innocently. "Have you lost one? I'd say I'm sorry, but any child is better off lost than with you-" "SILENCE!" Voldemort interrupted her, shaking with rage, "You know very well what child I am speaking of! Where is your son, woman!"  
  
Lily let all act drop. "You monster!" she screamed, tears starting to flow down her cheeks, "You come barging in here and kill my h....husband, and th....then you expect me t....to give you m....my son?" Lily was sobbing now. "I'll never tell you where he is, I won't let you kill Harry, too!"  
  
Voldemort narrowed his ugly red eyes. "Don't be silly, girl," he snarled, "I'm going to let you live. Just tell me where the boy is!"  
  
Lily decided to swallow her pride, then. "Please," she begged, "Not Harry, not Harry too, please! I'll give you anything, take me instead, just let my son live, I beg you!" Voldemort sneered down at Lily. "How touching. So you want to sacrifice yourself for your son? Lemme think....." Voldemort's nasty grin broadened. ".....no. It is not you I want..... I can't let your child live, he is a heir of Gryffindor and would be a great threat to me once he'd grown up..... So, for the last time, woman, where is the boy?"  
  
Voldemort almost shouted those last four words. Lily gave up. She knew that she was going to die that night. But she had one more trick up her sleeve, one plan to ensure Harry's safety and almost guarantee Voldemort's downfall. Voldemort would not get her son. Harry Potter would live.  
  
So, she sat up as straight as she could manage and looked Voldemort squarely in the eyes. "I won't ell you."  
  
Voldemort's eyes flashed as he pointed his wand at Lily Potter. "Then, you leave me with no choice. Avada Kedavra!"  
  
Lily watched the green light speeding her way calmly. Time seemed to slow down as she started to chant in her mind. Old words that had not been spoken in many centuries, words written in a long forgotten language, an ancient protection charm Lily had come across years ago while looking something up in the library for her charms homework.  
  
"Ghiam khamuros Harry James Potter. Nuhim amisuha lahar. Nazgh ad Szarka khem liam arzuk. RAHAR!"  
  
Knowing that her plan had worked, Lily Potter died with a smile on her face.  
  
Voldemort looked down on the bodies of two of his greatest foes, but not with satisfaction. Something had gone wrong. Harry Potter lived, and Voldemort knew that he wouldn't be able to find the boy even if he tried. Something else stirred in Voldemort's mind. It had been too easy. The woman had submitted far too easily, almost willingly. He had a bad feeling about this. Like the worst was still coming. And for the first time in more than 50 years, Voldemort was scared, really scared.  
  
Wrapping his cloak tighter about himself, Voldemort turned on his heel and hastily left the house, pausing only to shoot the dark mark up into the sky. "One day, Harry Potter," he hissed, "One day I will come back for you."  
  
Then, with one last glance at the Potter Mansion, Voldemort disapparated.  
  
Inside the house on the first floor, Harry Potter stirred. The cloak fell away from around him. Harry looked around the quiet hallway. "Mama?" he asked timidly. No one answered. "Dada?"  
  
Harry suddenly felt very cold and alone. He couldn't understand why his parents weren't answering him. This had never happened before. For the first time in his short life, little Harry felt scared, very scared.  
  
He curled up into a small ball and began to cry. But no one was there to hear his cries and no one was there to comfort him.  
  
Down in the living room, the dead bodies of Lily and James Potter were still lying on the floor, the eerie smile never leaving Lily's face.  
  
The clock in the hallway chimed twelve times. It was midnight.  
  
The moon and the stars shone down innocently upon the house which had been a place of terror only minutes ago. A new day had begun, the first day for little Harry Potter as an orphan.  
  
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We know most of the rest of the story. Not much later, Sirius arrived at the Potter Mansion. He found Lily and James's bodies in the living room and cried over them. Hagrid, too, came, and he found little Harry on the stairs, still crying.  
  
Sirius tried to convince Hagrid to give Harry to him, but Hagrid was adamant on carrying out Dumbledore's orders. So, Sirius gave him his motorcycle and disapparated.  
  
He hunted down Peter Pettigrew two days later and cornered him on a street full of muggles. But this time, this one time, Pettigrew outsmarted Sirius and framed his one-time friend for his murder and the murder of 12 innocent muggles. Sirius was powerless, and taken to Azkaban without a trial.  
  
Meanwhile, Voldemort continued to wreak havoc in the magical world, and even the muggle world. Lily and James Potter's deaths were written off by most as just two more unfortunate victims of Voldemort's reign of terror.  
  
Few people cared about what happened to little Harry Potter. One of those who did, however, was Remus Lupin, the Potters' best friend. He tried to gain custody of the small boy, but the ministry decided that his "condition" did not enable him to ensure a little child's safety. Remus fought the ministry's decision, but in the end he lost.  
  
Albus Dumbledore was charged with Harry's fate. He decided that it would be best for little Harry Potter to be with his only remaining relatives, the Dursleys. Remus interfered, telling the headmaster of all the horror stories he had heard from Lily about her sister and brother-in-law.  
  
Others tried to convince Dumbledore that this was a bad idea, too, in fact everyone who had known the Potters. But none of them wanted or were able to take Harry, and so it was decided: Harry Potter would live with his aunt and uncle and cousin, which was fine with the ministry because protection charms (that had to be placed around every witch's or wizard's house) worked much better when they were based on people sharing blood ties.  
  
So, a week after his parents' deaths, little Harry was lying at the Dursleys' front door fast asleep, a letter explaining everything clutched tightly in his tiny fist.  
  
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This story begins three years later. Harry is four years old now and has spent the past three years in the "care" of his horrible relatives, the Dursleys. Even though Harry was their nephew, they were treating him like dirt.  
  
Harry was sleeping in a small broom cupboard under the stairs, which was very dark and full of spiders. Harry didn't like spiders and was afraid of the darkness, so he cried in there very often, quietly, so that the Dursleys wouldn't hear.  
  
Harry wasn't allowed to be loud, he wasn't allowed to ask questions, he wasn't allowed to play. If he touched Dudley's toys or did anything else against the rules, he would be thrown into the cupboard without any food for a week.  
  
Food, that was another issue. Harry was never allowed to eat as much as he wanted to and was unnaturally thin and small for his age, whereas Dudley, Harry's cousin, was the size of a baby hippo by now.  
  
Dudley was horrible, too. Because Harry was smaller than him, he and his gang liked beating Harry up. Harry had long ago given up on trying to complain about it, he would only get punished for badmouthing "precious, little Duddykins".  
  
Harry had soon learnt that the best way to avoid trouble at the Dursleys was to be simply invisible, and over the years Harry had become quite good at this.  
  
He spent most of his free time (when he didn't have to do chores) in his cupboard. He had found a few very old fairytale-books in there but he hadn't told anyone about them, knowing that, if he did, they would be done quicker than he could say 'Snow-white'. So Harry had taught himself to read, and that meant that not only he did spend a lot of time reading about unicorns, giants and other magical creatures (which was a great no-no at the Dursleys), but also that he had a much larger vocabulary than normal four-year-olds.  
  
However, the bad treatment from the Dursleys had taken its toll on Harry. Not only the fact that he was undernourished, but also emotionally.  
  
Harry was a quiet, shy child. He hardly ever talked to anyone, mainly because the Dursleys forbid him to and didn't talk to him much themselves. It is a widely known fact that small children have a great need for affection and warmth, something that Harry had never had with the Dursleys.  
  
After having tried countless times to bond to the Dursleys only to be cruelly rejected or laughed at every time, Harry gave up and retreated further into himself.  
  
He had lost his trust in other human beings long ago. Everything adults ever did was shout at him, or starve him, or shut him in places where he didn't want to be, or load him with work, or punish him for things he hadn't done. Everything kids ever did was tease him mercilessly, or beat him up, or shun him for things they had done.  
  
So Harry had learnt quickly not to trust anyone but himself, and he was lonely, horribly lonely.  
  
And this is where this story begins, on Halloween 1984, exactly three years after Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter.  
  
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A/N: So, what do you think? Should I continue this story?  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
See ya,  
  
Felinity ^_^ 


	2. Never Again

Unicorn Child  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot- and the unicorns!!!  
  
A/N: Well, here it is, the first chapter of 'Unicorn Child'! (after the prologue). Thank you to all those wonderful people who reviewed!!!  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Never again  
  
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"BOY!"Someone was pounding on the door. Harry groaned and sat up slowly. He had been sleeping peacefully in his cupboard under the stairs until his aunt's shrill voice had woken him just a few seconds ago.  
  
"BOY! Are you up yet? Stop lazing about and cook our breakfast! I want everything to be perfect for my Duddykins today!"  
  
Harry sighed. Of course, he had almost forgotten. Today was Halloween, October 31st 1984. After some endless nagging and violent temper tantrums Harry's cousin, Dudley Dursley, had finally managed to convince his mother to let him go out in the evening with some of his friends to do some "trick-or-treating".  
  
Of course he, Harry, was to remain in the house, but then again this was no surprise. The Dursleys never let Harry have any fun, and playing "trick-or- treat" did sound like great fun in Harry's ears.  
  
Harry was brought out of his reverie by his aunt shrieking and pounding on the door of the cupboard again. "I'm up, I'm up!" he called quickly.  
  
"About time!" his aunt snapped and left him alone.  
  
Harry groped around in the darkness of his cupboard for his clothes. Finding them and brushing a few stray spiders off them he quickly stood up on his cot and put them on. After three years (ever since his parents had died in a car crash) of living in a tiny broom cupboard at his horrible relatives', the Dursleys, Harry was used to both spiders and getting dressed in the dark.  
  
It was moments like this when Harry was glad that he didn't have to wear glasses: He would probably break them during the night or spend ages looking for them in the mornings.  
  
Harry finished getting dressed in Dudley's huge hand-me-downs and stepped out of his cupboard. He had to squint heavily for a minute before his eyes had adjusted to the light.  
  
When the room had finally slipped into focus, Harry closed the door of 'his' cupboard and headed for the kitchens. His aunt threw him a thoroughly disgusted look when he entered the room and then resumed her favourite activity: Spying on the neighbours.  
  
Harry had gotten used to those glances and usually ignored them. He walked over to the stove and proceeded to cook bacon, scrambled eggs and prepare toast. As he waited for the bacon to actually start frying, Harry's mind slipped back to the dream he had had before his aunt had woken him...  
  
------------------FLASHBACK---------------------------  
  
Harry was sitting on a huge flying motorbike. Behind him there was a giant man whose beard was tickling Harry's forehead.  
  
Harry was laughing and giggling and clapping his hands, and the giant was smiling down on him gently, though there was sadness in his eyes.  
  
They were flying over a huge town and Harry's eyes widened when he noticed just how far up they were...  
  
------------------END FLASHBACK-------------------  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?"  
  
Harry's head snapped up, his eyes wide open. His aunt and uncle were towering over him, glaring at him with such hatred that Harry feared for a moment that they were about to kill him. "W....what?" he stuttered, scared.  
  
"YOU'RE BURNING OUR BACON!" Harry winced. He wished his uncle wouldn't shout so loudly. Harry looked at the frying pan and almost groaned. Uncle Vernon was right. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the burnt smell- the bacon was almost black.  
  
Slowly, filled with dread, Harry turned around so he was facing the Dursleys again. Harry noticed that Dudley had come into the kitchen, he was snickering stupidly. Harry knew that Dudley loved watching Harry being told off.  
  
A large hand grabbed the back of his neck, and Harry was hauled roughly back to his cupboard. The hand threw him in, and finally Harry had a chance to look at his uncle's face. It was an ugly shade of red, and Harry immediately shrank back, scared.  
  
"You will stay in here for a week- and you won't get any food for today. That'll teach you to burn my family's food, you disgusting little piece of filth!"  
  
And with that, uncle Vernon slammed the cupboard door shut. Harry heard the key turn in its lock- then silence.  
  
Harry was left alone in the dark, stuffy and tiny space he had slept in for the past three years. The unfairness and injustice of his punishment and life in general then hit Harry and he curled up on his cot into a little ball, and being the scared, lonely, unhappy, neglected four-year-old he was, Harry started to cry quietly, so nobody would hear.  
  
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A few hours later in the nearby forest  
  
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Serenity sighed deeply as she stared into the water of the lake. One week. It had been one week and yet it still hurt as if it had been yesterday.....  
  
Serenity shook her beautiful head angrily. There was no use dwelling in the past. No use trying to change things that had already happened. And yet.....  
  
Serenity leaned forwards slightly and touched the surface of the lake with her brilliant white horn. She watched as the water rippled, watched as her perfect mirror image was blurred.  
  
She heard a stick snap behind her but did not turn around. She knew that it was probably one of the other unicorns that had followed her. She wasn't in danger. No forest animal would dare to harm a unicorn, and humans didn't come here. Serenity didn't know why, they just didn't.  
  
She felt something soft brush against her cheek and turned slightly- she had been right. It was Stardust, her eight year old son.  
  
Stardust nuzzled Serenity again. *Mother, please come back. The others miss you.* Serenity sighed again and turned back to look at the lake. The water was once again smooth, as though it had never been disturbed. For a moment, Serenity hated the water for being so indifferent and stomped her hoof angrily. Water splashed, and at least for a second, the water had lost its smoothness. Serenity stared at it in childish satisfaction.  
  
Stardust had been watching this quietly, now he tried to approach his mother again. *I know it still hurts. We all miss Starlight.*  
  
At this Serenity's shoulders slumped. Starlight had been her one year old daughter. For a unicorn, that is still very young. Starlight had been a wonderful unicorn, many of the elders had put their hope in her. She had been wild, free, happy and careless- a little too careless. Only a week ago, there had been a violent thunderstorm, and Starlight, thinking it was a great adventure, had snuck off and eventually been hit by a falling tree.  
  
The group of unicorns had only found her body two days later. Starlight's death had come as a huge shock to the group. Unicorns were rare, especially in this part of England, and the loss of a young one meant the loss of hope for the unicorns' future.  
  
Eventually, everyone had been able to move on- everyone but Serenity. She missed her daughter sorely and hadn't even eaten since the thunderstorm.  
  
Stardust, seeing that his mother wasn't going to listen to him, snorted angrily and reared up. Finally Serenity turned to him.  
  
*You have to stop wallowing in self-pity! I know you miss her, we all do, but you've got to move on! You're wasting away in front of our eyes, and you don't even realize it!*  
  
Stardust softened his tone a bit and lowered his gaze on the ground.  
  
*Please, mother. We need you! We can't afford to lose you, too*  
  
Serenity stared at her grown-up son. He was right. She had been mourning for long enough. For a few seconds she felt ashamed at having been so selfish. The others needed her, her son needed her, and all she had done the past few days was 'wallowing in her self-pity', as Stardust had called it!  
  
Serenity straightened, and nodded to Stardust.  
  
*You're right, Stardust. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you.*  
  
With one last glance at the (smooth) lake, Serenity turned around gracefully and started to walk back to her group.  
  
Serenity turned her head upwards and looked at the sky. Millions of stars were twinkling down upon her, and Serenity had to smile. Maybe Starlight was now one of those stars up there? Maybe she was watching her mother?  
  
At that moment, a falling star shot across the dark sky.  
  
Serenity's smile broadened. Her daughter would always be with her, she could feel it, somewhere deep down in her heart.  
  
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Back at the Dursleys  
  
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Harry woke up with a start. For a moment he was completely disoriented and didn't know where he was at all. It was pitch black in his cupboard. There was no light shining in through the gap in the door, so Harry knew it had to be night.  
  
Harry rubbed his eyes. They felt dry and itchy- a reminder that he had cried himself to sleep. Harry remembered his punishment and as if on cue, his stomach growled loudly. Harry was starving, which was not really astonishing, considering that he hadn't had anything to eat since dinner the day before.  
  
The house was completely silent, almost eerily so. Had the Dursleys gone to bed? What time was it? As if sensing his thoughts, the clock in the hallway chimed. One..... Two..... Three..... Harry counted eleven times.  
  
Harry wondered what he was supposed to do now. He didn't feel like going back to sleep , and there was no way for to get out of the cupboard- it was still locked. It was too dark to read his fairytale book.....  
  
Harry finally settled for counting. One..... Two..... Three..... Four..... Five..... It was dead boring, but really Harry didn't know what else to do. 103..... 104..... 105..... 106..... 107.....  
  
Harry never got any further.  
  
'BOOM!'  
  
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin and let out a muffled gasp.  
  
'Bang!' 'Bang!'  
  
The Dursleys had apparently heard the commotion and thrown open their doors and were currently stomping down the stairs.  
  
'CRASH!'  
  
This time Harry was sure that he had heard wood splinter. A moment of silence. Then-  
  
"I demand that you leave my house at once! I'm warning you, I'm armed!" Harry heard his uncle below. Somehow, Harry had the feeling that this hadn't been the right thing to say. His suspicions were confirmed when Harry heard the most horrible sound he had ever heard in his entire life: High, cold, evil laughter. It sent shivers down Harry's spine and he could almost sense the spiders scuttling around frantically. Somehow, Harry had an odd sense of déjà vu.  
  
Finally, the laughter stopped and Harry heard the horrible voice say: "I don't like insolent muggles like you, Dursley..... say goodbye to your precious family! Avada Kedavra!"  
  
A flash of green light was visible through the gap under the cupboard door and Harry heard his aunt and Dudley scream.  
  
Whatever had happened out there, Harry could tell that it wasn't good. He pressed himself into the corner of the cupboard, shaking with fear. Then, he could hear the horrible man speak again.  
  
"Now, woman....." the voice hissed, "Where is the boy?"  
  
Harry froze. Dudley was out there. So this.....man.....was looking for him? Harry?  
  
"B....boy?" Aunt Petunia's voice quivered with fear. "D....do you mean P....Potter?"  
  
"Yesssss, dumb woman!" the man hissed angrily. "Now where is he?"  
  
Harry, if possible, retreated further into his corner. That man was really looking for him. Never in his life could Harry remember having felt this scared before. Harry listened to his aunt giving him away with dread. Footsteps approached the cupboard, a key was turned in the lock, then the cupboard door was yanked open and Harry stared apprehensively up at- and there was no other way to describe it- his worst nightmare.  
  
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Should I leave you hanging here? *ducks flying tomatoes* hehe..... Just kidding guys..... Whoa calm down..... #POV change#  
  
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Voldemort smirked down at the little boy crouched in the corner of the cupboard. He looked scared half to death and apprehensive.  
  
Abruptly, Voldemort turned away from the child and faced the woman and her fat whale of a son again. "Very well. I am no longer in need of your..... services. Avada Kedavra Maximus!"  
  
A flash of brilliant green light left Voldemort's wand, split in two and hit both Dudley and Aunt Petunia. They fell to the floor with a sickening thud. Harry gasped in shock and stared at the still figures of the Dursleys in disbelief. They couldn't be.... Dead? The word sounded horrible, even in Harry's mind, but something told him that indeed his only remaining family had just been killed by that snake-like man in front of him.  
  
Slowly, Harry looked up at the man. He felt numb with shock and disbelief, and at the same time frozen with fear.  
  
Voldemort frowned down at the boy. He didn't want to kill him while he was cowering in a corner of a broom cupboard. "Come out here, boy."  
  
Harry, visibly shaking, complied.  
  
Voldemort smirked. "You don't know how long I have waited for this day to come, Potter..... why, you probably don't even remember me. My name is Lord Voldemort."  
  
Somehow, that name sent shivers down Harry's spine. Voldemort watched Harry's reaction to his name with a satisfied smirk. Then, he continued.  
  
"In case you didn't know, Potter, I had the great pleasure of killing your parents three years ago. They were a thorn in my side, Potter, a big thorn....."  
  
Harry had paled. His face was now a sickly pale colour. "But.....m....my parents died in a car crash!" he managed to get out.  
  
Voldemort stared at Harry for a moment, in disbelief. Then, a deep scowl crossed his face. "Did those muggles tell you that?" Harry nodded meekly. Voldemort's scowl deepened. "They lied, Potter. I killed your parents because they were two of my biggest enemies..... Dumbledore's allies."  
  
Harry stared at Voldemort in shock. It couldn't be. How could this man have killed Harry's parents? Harry was breathing heavily, feeling horribly upset and alone.  
  
Voldemort suddenly realized that Harry probably didn't even know about witchcraft and wizardry. And then he sensed his chance. If the boy was truly oblivious..... if he really didn't know about him and the magical world..... maybe he could get him onto his side? Potter was, though very young, undoubtedly powerful. Voldemort smirked to himself and decided to give it a try.  
  
He made sure to keep his face absolutely expressionless and kneeled down so he was facing the child. Then, he took his wand and held it out to Harry, making sure it was just out of the boy's reach. In an almost friendly tone he asked:  
  
"Do you know what this is, child?"  
  
Harry shook his head, frightened.  
  
Voldemort nodded in satisfaction. He had been right.  
  
"This, boy," he continued, "is a wand. Wizards like you and me use it to do magic. You know what magic is, don't you?"  
  
Harry nodded, completely awestruck. "You....I'm a wizard? But I thought..... Uncle Vernon always said there's no such thing as magic....."  
  
Voldemort could feel his impatience growing and was about to snap at the boy, but stopped himself just in time. Potter was a small child after all. "Like I told you before, your aunt and uncle were lying to you. Think, Harry. Have you never made anything happen when you were angry or scared?"  
  
Harry thought for a minute. Of course, lots of glass had exploded when he had been particularly angry.... Sometimes there was even a storm outside.... And there was that time when Dudley had flown across the room just as he was about to hit Harry..... but was this magic? Really magic? Had his aunt and uncle been lying to him all his life? However, Voldemort was eyeing Harry impatiently, so Harry nodded, slowly. "That....that was magic? And..... if it is true, then why are you telling me this?"  
  
Voldemort nodded, satisfied. "Well, Harry. You see, I could use another companion. I won't lie to you, Harry, you are very powerful, and I have good use for you. Together we could be unbeatable, together we could rule the world, together we could show everyone! I can give you anything you want Harry, friends, money, your own house, just name it and I will give it to you! I could train you, Harry, and in only a few years we would be the most powerful wizards ever! Join me, Harry!"  
  
Harry stumbled back in shock. There was an insane glow in Voldemort's eyes, which frightened Harry beyond belief. Then suddenly, Harry felt anger welling up inside him, anger like he had never felt before. He took another step backwards, his back was now pressed against the wall, and hissed:  
  
"You monster! You come in here and kill the only family I have left, and you claim that you have killed my parents, and now you expect me to join you? You monster! You evil, disgusting thing!"  
  
Voldemort drew in a sharp breath and stood back up. His ugly red eyes were narrowed dangerously and he was gritting his disgusting yellow teeth.  
  
"So," he said, in a very low voice, "you have decided to defy me like those fools, your parents, did. I don't like people who defy me, Potter. I offered you a place in my ranks that I've never offered to anyone before. Since you declined, you leave me with no choice. Say goodbye, Harry Potter!"  
  
Harry pressed himself against the wall in fear. He watched, as if in slow motion, as Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it straight at Harry's forehead. Harry knew that he was going to die now. Voldemort would use the strange green light magic he had done to the Dursleys on him. There was no way that he, Harry, would survive this.  
  
Then, as if through a haze, Harry heard Voldemort say those fatal words: "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
Harry saw the green light rushing towards him. Time had slowed down. He felt it connect with his forehead, knew that all was over now and closed his eyes..... everything was cold..... so cold..... he was falling...... deeper...... and deeper.....  
  
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
With tremendous effort Harry opened his eyes. Voldemort! Where had he gone? Who had screamed?  
  
Then, Harry noticed the most peculiar thing was happening right in front of him. It was Voldemort who had screamed. Now he was just standing there. Harry noticed that Voldemort's face was getting redder and redder by the second, he looked as if he was about to explode, then-  
  
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Voldemort screamed again, and right before Harry's eyes he shattered into a million pieces. Harry gasped in shock, both at Voldemort and at the fact that the ground was starting to shake. Cracks formed on the walls around him, dust and bricks fell down from the ceiling, the house was caving in!  
  
Harry ran, blinded by all the dust and rubble. He stumbled, fell, got up again, was hit by stones and wood, but he had to go on, had to get out-  
  
And then he finally reached the front door and threw himself out into the garden, just as the walls behind him gave him and house number four collapsed completely.  
  
Harry curled himself into a little ball on the grass and protected his head with his arms. The noise seemed to go on forever, the earth was shaking, shards of glass and other materials were raining down on Harry. After what seemed like and eternity, everything stopped. The silence seemed unnatural. Harry slowly raised his head from the ground.  
  
The sight that met his eyes was one of destruction and terror. Where only seconds before a house had been, there was now only a ruin with piles of rubble. Harry got up cautiously and started to walk towards the ruin hesitantly.  
  
Here and there, he spotted some pieces of furniture, and there, where the hallway had been, a huge piece of wood had come down, blocking the other rubble from falling onto the three still bodies beneath it.  
  
Harry stared at the dead bodies of his only remaining family. They looked scared, even in death.  
  
Suddenly, the whole impact of what had just happened hit Harry. They were dead. The Dursleys were dead! Voldemort had killed them! Harry, though he had never liked the Dursleys, was now completely alone on the world.  
  
Harry started to shake, feeling cold and empty inside. Never in his life had he felt so lost and alone before.  
  
Faintly, Harry could hear sirens coming closer. The police was arriving, and probably the firemen, too. Harry didn't want to face those people. Harry didn't trust them anymore. He didn't trust anyone anymore, what little trust he had had in humans had been destroyed together with his family not ten minutes ago.  
  
Harry stood abruptly, and quickly made his way out of the garden. He walked at a brisk pace, through the park and in the direction of the nearby forest. Harry hesitated when he reached the tree line. He turned around once more and looked back at the remains of #4 Privet Drive.  
  
The policemen had arrived. They were running around frantically, taking pictures and shouting to each other.  
  
But Harry had made up his mind. He would go and live in the forest. He never wanted to have anything to do with other human-beings again.  
  
A small, crystalline tear ran down Harry's cheek, before he turned around abruptly and stepped into the forest.  
  
Had one of the men at the house looked up at this very moment, they might have seen a small, battered boy vanishing into the forest. But none of them looked up, and so Harry Potter disappeared from the human world, and it would be many years until they ever saw or heard of him again.  
  
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A/N: End of chapter one! Phew! What do you think? PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
See ya,  
  
Felinity ^_^ 


	3. The Forest Council and The Magical World

Unicorn Child  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter characters you recognise! I do own Serenity, Starlight, the other unicorns, the forest animal council and language, and the plot!!!  
  
~*~  
  
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
~speech of all living beings in the forest~  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The Forest Council and the Magical World  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Harry stumbled into the forest. Scenes from the Dursleys were flashing through his head, blinding him, tears were now freely flowing down his cheeks. The world became blurry, and Harry stumbled over a tree root. He fell, hard, onto the ground, scraping his chin on a rock. Harry let out a small whimper of pain, then he scrambled to his feet again and continued on his way.  
  
He remembered what Voldemort had told him, a wizard, he was supposed to be a wizard. How could that be?  
  
SNAP  
  
A twig whipped him across his face, Harry's left cheek started to bleed. Again, Harry whimpered and continued.  
  
The Dursleys. Harry had never liked them, they had hated Harry and treated him terribly. Sometimes Harry wondered what he had done to deserve this treatment, because that he deserved it, was clear in Harry's mind. After all, why would the Dursleys punish him if he didn't deserve it?  
  
BAM  
  
It was completely dark out here, Harry couldn't see his own hand before his eyes- let alone the tree he had run into. But it had successfully brought him out of his daze.  
  
Harry looked around. It was dark. Harry couldn't see a thing. Harry couldn't hear a thing. The silence was suffocating. Vaguely, Harry was aware that his breathing was beginning to quicken. Had he known that word, Harry would have known that he was starting to hyperventilate. But Harry, being four years old, did not know that word, and so the only word to describe his current condition, was panicked. Completely, utterly panicked.  
  
Harry started to run. He didn't know in which direction to go, he ran into trees, stumbled over tree roots, hit his knees on rocks. Not even years later could Harry say how long he had been like this, falling, getting up again, stumbling, running on.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Harry, he could see a little bit of light ahead. Completely exhausted, Harry gathered all his remaining strength and made his way toward the light.  
  
He arrived at a small clearing, a stream was running through it. Harry fell to his knees beside the stream and stared into the water. He could see his reflection in the dim moonlight..... and had to clap his hands over his mouth to keep from screaming.  
  
He looked horrible. His clothes were torn, the skin of his face was scratched and bleeding, but what shocked him most was his forehead. There, exactly in the centre, was a lightning-bolt-shaped cut. Harry touched it tentatively. It seemed to be very deep and was bleeding freely.  
  
Carefully, Harry cupped his hands and cleaned the cuts on his face, especially the one on his forehead.  
  
After he was satisfied, Harry began to think about his situation. He was lost, there was no denying it. Maybe running away hadn't been such a good idea after all- but no, Harry thought, everything was better than living with humans. And at least here, in this clearing, there was water and light-  
  
A great storm cloud suddenly moved in front of the moon. It was pitch black. Harry sat frozen. He couldn't see a thing. He wondered what animals were out here? Harry shuddered as his vivid imagination began to work.  
  
All sorts of potential dangers began to race through Harry's mind. There, that snap- was that an animal trying to eat Harry? And the faint howling of the wind at the edges of the clearing- were there werewolves waiting to kill Harry? And was it just his imagination, or was there a pair of creepy yellow eyes staring at him from the shadows?  
  
Harry shuddered violently and stumbled across the clearing.  
  
THUMP  
  
He had hit a tree. Harry fell down and curled up between the roots. The events of the day, the fright, fear, exhaustion and horror, finally caught up with little Harry. He buried his head in his hands and began to cry, quietly, as he was taught, so nobody would be disturbed by him.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
It was dark. Completely dark. There was no glimmer of light left in the forest, and the silence was suffocating. The moon and the stars had vanished behind impenetrable storm clouds half an hour ago. Tension was thick in the air, almost palpable. A light, cold breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees who seemed to just stand there, not caring. But that was not true.  
  
In the middle of Little Whining's great forest, there stood an old oak. Nobody knew how old it was anymore, even the oak had forgotten how much time had passed. It had been alive far more than two centuries, it knew that much, but no human had really visited it in a long time.  
  
The oak was very old, and very wise. It had seen more cold winters and hot summers than any of the other living beings in this forest and they accepted its wisdom and appreciated and heeded its advice.  
  
For yes, all of the forest creatures, magical or not, could communicate with one another, even the trees. And since the old oak was the wisest tree in the forest and was growing exactly in the middle of it, all important meetings in times of crisis were being held in the 'Oak Clearing', as it was known to all forest animals.  
  
This night, there was such a meeting.  
  
The old oak had known they would come, had felt their presence before he had seen or heard them. The leaders, the chiefs of all animal groups and packs in the forest, were approaching, in silent agreement about this meeting. All of them had felt Cassandra's call, all of them had known it was time for another meeting.  
  
The old oak rustled its leaves importantly as the first leader arrived in the clearing. It was Serenity, leader of the only unicorn group in this forest. The old oak knew that she had lost her young one only a week ago and was still grieving.  
  
Serenity kneeled down briefly in front of the oak, showing her respect for the oldest living being in the forest, as it was customary. Then, the proud unicorn mother stood back up and retreated into the shadows, waiting for her fellow leaders to arrive.  
  
They came swiftly and silently, one by one. There was Rex, the king of the wolves; Arya, the chief of all foxes; Cassandra, the wisest of the rabbits; Dandelion, the representative of the squirrels; Nocturn, the leader of the owls; Crawx, the speaker for the crows and ravens; Trillidge, a blackbird, elected to act for the rest of the bird population; Serenity, leader of the unicorns; Crown, the king of the stags and deer; and of course Slyther, chief of the snakes.  
  
All of them assembled under the old oak tree, and the meeting began.  
  
Traditionally, it was the oak that opened the meeting.  
  
~Greetings to you, fellow leaders and kings. I hereby call the 1753rd meeting of the forest council to order! Cassandra, wisest of the rabbits, please inform us why we are all assembled here.~  
  
The old rabbit moved to the middle of the clearing slowly. Cassandra was the second oldest living being in the forest and was viewed as almost as wise as the old oak. She had been around for almost a century, her fur had gone a pure white with age, and Cassandra was almost blind.  
  
But she also, most importantly, had the sight. Cassandra could read the stars better than any other animal in the forest, she could see the present and the future and was sometimes overcome with visions. Cassandra was one of the most reliable sources of knowledge about the human world the forest animals had.  
  
Also, Cassandra was psychic. She had the power to call all animal leaders of the forest to this very meeting place and nobody dared to ignore her call, knowing the consequences ignorance could bring.  
  
Only an hour ago, all of the assembled chiefs and kings had received the call, and none of them had wasted any time before getting here.  
  
Cassandra, the wise rabbit, waited until she saw that everyone's attention was fixed on her. Then she started to speak with her calm, powerful voice.  
  
~Greetings to all of you, my fellow leaders. I am glad that all of you heard my call and decided to follow it immediately. The reason I have brought you here today is that only three hours ago I suddenly felt a great evil entering this forest. I will not lie to you, my fellow council, what I felt scared me beyond words. Such an evil has never been heard of to taint our forest, and this creature, whatever it was, was so devilish that I was momentarily frozen.~  
  
Some of the council, the older members, shuddered and murmured in agreement. They had felt the evil presence too. Serenity, who, with her eighteen years, was one of the younger leaders, had not. After a brief silence Cassandra continued.  
  
~After I could move again, I reached out with my mind and found the evil quickly. Will you believe me when I say that this evil creature was none other than the reason why we assembled here the last time three years ago?~  
  
Some of the animals gasped, others remained silent, having expected it. Cassandra continued talking quickly.  
  
~You will all remember what happened three years ago. Lord Voldemort, how the humans call him, had killed the Potters, except for their little son..... Harry. I was overcome with a vision telling me that this little boy, Harry Potter, was going to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort.~  
  
Cassandra looked around the clearing, everyone nodded. Satisfied, she continued.  
  
~Tonight, when my mind reached the evil presence of the Dark Lord, I was overcome with another vision. It showed exactly what I have predicted you three years ago. Harry Potter, a small boy, has been the downfall of Lord Voldemort.~  
  
There was a brief silence, then a cheer rang throughout the clearing. Most of the council was celebrating, and it took a powerful admonishment from the old oak to quiet them all down. The only ones that had not cheered were Serenity, Rex and Arya.  
  
Now that everyone had quieted down, Arya, the queen of the foxes, stepped forward. ~Forgive me for interrupting, Wise one, but you said that a small boy had destroyed Voldemort. And yet you said Harry Potter was four years old?~  
  
Cassandra smiled indulgently. ~Ah, but Arya, for a human child four years is very young. Humans take almost twenty years until they are completely full-grown. In their species, Harry is still a small cub.~  
  
Astonished whispers broke out all around the clearing as Arya thanked Cassandra and stepped back.  
  
Now, Rex walked majestically up to Cassandra and asked: ~Wise one, what happened to Lord Voldemort?~  
  
The other animals grew deathly quiet. Was Voldemort still here in the forest? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?  
  
Cassandra sighed and closed her eyes briefly.  
  
~That, Rex, king of the wolves, is a very good question. Like I said, the Potter cub has brought down the Dark Lord, but his soul has not been completely destroyed. He is still out there, somewhere, not quite a ghost or a spirit, but still there, too vulnerable to survive whatever Harry has done, yet too immortal to die from it. I do not know if he will ever return, but I am sure that he will find a way, somehow, sometime, the Dark Lord shall be over us again. Not for a few years, though. For now, he has left the forest and I can sense that he is nowhere hear here, so you needn't worry.~  
  
Rex nodded solemnly and stepped back into the circle of the council. Now Serenity gathered all of her courage and stepped forward. She had never spoken in front of the council, let alone the oak or Cassandra, before.  
  
Cassandra smiled reassuringly at Serenity when the young unicorn stepped forward, sensing her nervousness.  
  
~Wise one,~ Serenity said, ~What happened to Harry Potter?~  
  
Cassandra's smile turned a little sad.  
  
~Ah yes, Harry Potter.....~ she said, almost dreamily, ~I'm afraid I do not know exactly. After his unfortunate encounter with the Dark Lord, in which, I am sorry to say, young Harry's last living relatives were killed, Harry decided to run away..... into this very forest. And this, my fellow leaders, is the reason we are all assembled here.~  
  
Whispers broke out again, but Cassandra quieted everyone down with a stern glance in their direction.  
  
~I probably don't have to tell you that we, along with every living being on this earth, muggle or wizard, are in Harry Potter's debt. He saved the world from Voldemort's clutches, but he still is a child. A child that is currently somewhere in this forest, lost and alone. And it is up to us to decide his fate.~  
  
Cassandra paused for a moment to let the words sink in.  
  
~We have two choices. One, we let Harry be on his own, where he will most likely not survive in this forest. Or two, one of us animals takes him into our group and raises him, thereby repaying our debt to young Harry and the humans.~  
  
There was silence for a moment, then Crawx, the representative of the crows and ravens stepped forward. Crawx was a young and ambitious leader, known for his cruelty and ruthlessness.  
  
~I say, we leave him,~ Crawx said maliciously, ~He brought down Voldemort, fine, but why bother to raise him? He's done his job, we don't need him. A human in our forest? Impossible! You all know that humans bring nothing but despair and destruction. If we take him in, he will destroy us all!"  
  
There were some murmurs of agreement from Dandelion ,the squirrel, and Nocturn, the owl leader. The latter flew down from the branch he had been perched on into the middle of the clearing and said:  
  
~Crawx is right! The human cub will rip our community apart. We have all heard of the cruel deeds of the humans! Lord Voldemort himself was human! This is not our fight, the Potter cub is not our responsibility, let the humans take care of it, and if it dies before they find it, fine!~  
  
Serenity was seething with rage. How could they talk about a small cub like this! Arya, the fox queen, seemed to think so too, because she stepped forward and said angrily:  
  
~You fools! How can you say that the fight against Voldemort is not of our concern? Voldemort would have destroyed us all had Harry Potter not defeated him! And you want to leave the child alone? I agree that it would be risky to accept a human in our community and teach him the ways of the forest, but the least we can do is find the cub and guide him to the edge of the forest so that he can return to his human friends!~  
  
Again, the leaders murmured in agreement, but Cassandra quieted everyone down quickly.  
  
~Wise words, my dear Arya,~ the old rabbit said, ~However, there is one problem. Young Harry does not wish to return to the human world.~  
  
There were gasps all around, whispers everywhere.  
  
~And why is that so?~ Rex, the wolf leader asked calmly.  
  
~Because, Rex,~ Cassandra picked up again, ~The people he has been staying with over the past three years, his last remaining relatives, have, I am sad to say, not treated the boy well. They have neglected him and kept the truth about his parents' deaths from him. After his encounter with Lord Voldemort, Harry has lost all trust in his fellow humans and has decided to run away and to never return to them.~  
  
The clearing was deathly silent as what she had said sunk in. Then Crawx gave a short, croaky laugh.  
  
~Pathetic! The saviour of the human world is a small cub who is traumatized by three years of not-being-pampered and who does not want to return to the humans! How weak! If he was one of my hatchlings, I would throw him out and leave him for the insects to eat!~  
  
That was the final straw. Serenity exploded. All the strain of having her child killed and hearing about the small human cub who saved the world and reminded her so much of Starlight became too much, Serenity reared up and screamed in rage, completely oblivious to everyone around her except for Crawx.  
  
~You bastard!~ she shouted. ~You evil, pathetic, non-caring thing! How dare you speak like that about the child that has saved us all! How dare you suggest that we just leave him to die, after all that he has done for all of us! I despise you!~  
  
And with that, Serenity stormed from the clearing at full speed. She ran and ran, ignoring the cries of ~Serenity! Wait!~ behind her. She was angrier than she had ever been in her life before, a strange red haze was clouding her vision, she was trembling with rage and disgust for Crawx.  
  
How long she ran, Serenity didn't know, but it was a long way, because she suddenly realized that she was in the outskirts of the forest.  
  
Then, a strange sound reached her ears. Serenity stopped dead, listening for the unfamiliar sound, which sounded almost like..... crying. A human child crying.  
  
Serenity's ears twitched nervously as she followed the sound cautiously to a clearing. There, curled up between the roots of an old ash, lay a small human child. And the child was crying.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Remus Lupin stared at the remains of Nr.4 Privet Drive. Where there had been a beautiful house, there was now just a pile of rubble, the reminder of the horrible things that had happened here.  
  
The muggle policemen and Aurors had left long ago, it was one week after the incident, and yet Remus could not bring himself to move. He stood transfixed, eyes glued to the place that had once been the home of one Harry Potter.  
  
Nobody knew what had happened. The neighbours had reported that there had been nothing unusual going on that day- at least as far as they could see. Mr. Dursley had left for and returned from work as every day, the Dursley's son, Dudley, had been seen leaving the house with his friends to play 'Trick or Treat' and returning at about ten o'clock. Nobody had seen or heard anything of Harry at all that day.  
  
And then, suddenly, around midnight, the neighbours said, the whole house blew up. The place was surrounded by a giant cloud of dust and dirt. The neighbours had, of course, called the police and firemen immediately, but there had been nothing they could do.  
  
The Dursley's corpses had been rescued from the ruins..... apparently unharmed, but dead. The muggle doctors had been stumped, but had finally settled for the explanation that the Dursleys must have been so terrified by the collapse of their house that their hearts had stopped.  
  
But nobody had found a trace of the other small boy that lived in this house, nobody knew what had become of little Harry Potter.  
  
After the muggle authorities had left, the Aurors had come. They had searched the house and had found that the explosion was caused by magic- powerful, very dark magic. An Unforgivable Curse, some said. But there was no proof.  
  
The magical signatures on the house were easily identified. Voldemort, the most powerful Dark Lord in many centuries, had been here, to finish off the last remaining Potter.  
  
Nobody knew how he had managed to overcome the protections placed around this house. After all, Harry Potter had been with his blood relatives. The love of one blood relative for another was a very powerful thing, and not even Voldemort should have been able to break the bond of love between Harry, his aunt and his cousin. All the protections and wards on Harry's house had been based on this love.  
  
Yes, Voldemort's overcoming those barriers was indeed a big mystery (A/N: Forgive my sarcasm), one that should not be lifted for a few years.  
  
Another fact the Aurors had discovered was that Lord Voldemort had never left the house. Somehow, they concluded, Harry Potter must have defeated the Dark Lord. Somehow, he, a four-year-old child, had done what nobody else could.  
  
The Wizarding World was in an uproar. Word that Lord Voldemort had finally disappeared, had been defeated by little Harry Potter, spread like wildfire. Not two hours after the incident, witches and wizards all over the world were celebrating their freedom and their newfound hero, Harry Potter.  
  
But now, one week after Halloween, the celebrations were starting to die down and people started to ask questions. Where was Harry Potter?  
  
The wizarding world was in an uproar again. Everyone was looking for the boy-who-defeated-Voldemort, and yet nobody found a trace of him.  
  
Remus Lupin and the staff of Hogwarts under the lead of Albus Dumbledore especially were searching tirelessly. They knew that Harry was alive out there, somewhere, but they also knew what a dangerous place the world was for a four-year-old. It terrified everyone to think about what could happen to the small boy.  
  
But their search was in vain. Harry Potter had seemingly vanished from the face of earth.  
  
Remus blinked back tears as he remembered what had happened earlier this very day.....  
  
####################FLASHBACK########################  
  
It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Remus and the staff had just returned from another fruitless search for Harry Potter. The mood in the Great Hall was gloomy. Everyone thought of the little boy, and what could have happened to him in the one week he had been missing. Even Severus Snape, the youngest staff member and nemesis of James Potter, seemed to be depressed. Nobody was in the mood to talk, so everyone ate in silence.  
  
Suddenly, with a crash, the front doors flew open. In the door stood Cornelius Fudge, the only recently appointed ("idiot", Remus thought) minister of magic.  
  
"So," Fudge said in his usual snobby tone, "Have you found the boy?"  
  
Everyone just stared at him, then Albus slowly shook his head.  
  
Fudge sneered. "Very well, then. I've had enough of this. Tomorrow there will be an article in the Daily Prophet declaring his very unfortunate, tragic death."  
  
Remus jumped up. "You can't do this!" he blurted out. "Harry is alive, we know that! We just haven't found him yet, you can't just declare him dead!"  
  
Fudge sneered at him coldly. "Don't tell me what I can or can't do, Mr. Lupin," he said, eyeing Remus with contempt.  
  
Dumbledore stood up also, a quiet fury radiating off him in almost palpable waves. "Why?" he just asked, but the power behind that one word made everyone in the room, especially Fudge, shudder.  
  
Fudge quickly regained his composure and came over to he staff table. He put his hands on the table and leaned forward, looking at everyone intently.  
  
"Why?", he repeated, "I can tell you why. People are getting restless. They want to see results, want to see their hero, want to know what happened to him. They are starting to rebel against the ministry and its methods, saying that we aren't trying to find the child hard enough. They want results, get the idea?"  
  
Fudge's eyes were gleaming, he looked absolutely insane.  
  
"I am going to give them a result. I am going to tell the wizarding world that we found a body somewhere in an back alley in London. I am going to tell them that it was identified as Harry Potter's corpse. And if I hear one, only one of you, say something against this statement, the one who said something will find themself in Azkaban for the rest of their life. Good day to all of you."  
  
And with that, the minister had turned and left the Great Hall swiftly.  
  
################### END FLASHBACK####################  
  
Yes, that is what the minister had said.  
  
Remus jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw the headmaster of Hogwarts who was looking at him with concern and sorrow in his eyes. Remus turned back to the house and choked back another sob.  
  
"I should have fought harder." Remus whispered. "I should never have let anyone put him here. I should have fought the ministry's decision more, I should have-"  
  
Dumbledore shushed him. "You have done nothing wrong, Remus," he said firmly, "You warned me about leaving Harry here. You fought for Harry's custody and you could have done nothing to alter the ministry's decision. If you want to blame Harry's disappearance and whatever happened here one week ago on anyone, blame it on the ministry, myself, and most of all, Voldemort."  
  
They were silent for a few moments, then Dumbledore continued.  
  
"I know it hurts, Remus. I know you wanted to take care of Harry, I know you would have done a wonderful job. But it's in the past, Remus, let it go! I know you are scared for Harry, I know that I am, and I know that you want to help him just as badly as I do. But, Remus, there is nothing we can do. You heard the minister, we won't be of any use to Harry if we are in Azkaban."  
  
Again, Dumbledore paused and looked up at the beautiful night sky. The stars were twinkling down upon him innocently, the moon was shining brightly. It would be full moon in a few days.  
  
"We cannot help Harry now, Remus. You and I both know that he is somewhere out there alive, but if he has survived for one week on his own, he will survive for the next few years. And if this is of any comfort to you, Remus, I have a firm feeling that we will see Harry again. Not today, not tomorrow, not for a few years, but one day, Remus, we will meet again, I can feel it. Trust me, Remus, our little friend is not gone forever."  
  
Remus nodded. He had that same feeling and knew that it would come true. The headmaster squeezed his shoulder another time and then let him go.  
  
"Oh, and Remus," he said, "That DADA position in Hogwarts is still free, you know that our teacher had to resign because of illness last week? Well, do you want the job?"  
  
Remus whirled around. "Me, a teacher?" he sounded so incredulous that Albus had to laugh.  
  
"Yes, Remus. You. I have seen that you are a very good teacher already when you were at school and were helping the younger students with their homework. Your..... condition..... won't be a problem, Severus is going to make you the Wolfsbane potion. So, Remus, do you accept the position?"  
  
Remus stared at his former headmaster and had to swallow, hard. "I....." he said, then cleared his throat and tried again. "I would love to be the new DADA teacher."  
  
Dumbledore smiled gently and shook Remus' hand warmly. "I'm glad, Remus." Dumbledore knew what this must mean to the young werewolf. Because of his condition, Remus had trouble in finding a job in the wizarding world. Most witches and wizards were, unfortunately, very biased when it came to werewolves and vampires and such, and people like Remus were often shunned by the magical community.  
  
Dumbledore chuckled as he thought about the Hogwarts staff. 'Quite a bunch we've got there,' he thought, shaking his head. 'We've got a werewolf who teaches DADA, a half giant who's the groundskeeper, a part vampire as a Potions Master, a dwarf who teaches Charms, a ghost as the History of Magic professor, a part hawk as a Flying Instructor, a Divinations teacher who can't predict the future, a squib as a caretaker, and last, but not least, about a hundred house elves in the kitchens.'  
  
Dumbledore chuckled again as he squeezed Remus' shoulder one last time and told him he would see him at Hogwarts the next day.  
  
After Dumbledore had left, Remus turned back to look at the ruin and sighed. Then, he turned on his heel and apparated back to his flat in Hogsmeade.  
  
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The next day, a certain article in the Daily Prophet caused another uproar in the magical world. The headline this morning read:  
  
BOY-WHO-DEFEATED-YOU-KNOW-WHO FOUND DEAD  
  
By Rita Skeeter, special correspondent  
  
Yesterday, November 7th, the body of Harry Potter, the boy who defeated He- who-must-not-be-named, was found in a small back alley in London. The boy had already been dead for three days, the medi-wizards stated. Apparently, the child's body was littered with bruises and wounds from his encounter with You-Know-Who. 'He died from blood loss,' Lucius Malfoy, leader of the Hit-Wizard department in the MoM, who found Harry Potter's corpse yesterday, declared.  
  
'Potter's just another unfortunate victim of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Let his soul rest in peace, I am sure Harry will be sorely- er- missed.'  
  
The article continued on like that for five pages, it told the life story of Lily and James Potter, their death at Voldemort's hands, then everything that was known about Harry (which wasn't much) and a few more things that brought witches all over the earth to tears and that had come from Rita's Quick Quotes Quill.  
  
And so, against the will of Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore and the rest of the Hogwarts staff, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Defeated-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-And-Then- Disappeared, was declared dead, and the Wizarding World was left to mourn the loss of their saviour.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Remus smiled grimly as he read the article. "One day, Harry," he whispered to himself, "One day we will meet again. I know that you are somewhere out there. Good luck, Harry Potter."  
  
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One week before in Little Whining's forest  
  
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Harry stopped crying abruptly. He had a feeling that he was being watched. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked around. There, at the far end of the clearing, was something so pure white and bright that it almost hurt Harry's eyes after the darkness.  
  
Harry looked at it in fear. What was that thing?  
  
Serenity stepped closer. There was no doubt in her mind. This child was Harry Potter. Serenity took another step forward so that she was now directly in front of Harry.  
  
The child was a mess. His clothes were torn and there was blood on his face, along with scratches. The child had pitch black, messy hair and fairly pale skin. But it was his eyes that caught Serenity's attention the most. They were deep, very deep. They were the kind of eyes you could get lost in, a beautiful emerald green. And they were currently gazing up at her in wonder, so innocent, so pure, despite of what Harry had seen that night.  
  
And it was his eyes, so much like Starlight's in everything but colour, that made Serenity fall in love with the child instantly.  
  
Very carefully, so as not to frighten the small human, Serenity sank down to her knees in front of him and started to lick his wounds gently.  
  
First, the child flinched away, but Serenity nuzzled his cheek (the uninjured one) and Harry seemed to understand that she was trying to help him.  
  
He let her clean his wounds for him. What Harry didn't know was that unicorn spittle has healing powers. All of the scratches disappeared instantly- all but the one on his forehead.  
  
Serenity looked at the lightning-bolt-shaped scar curiously. It had to be a result of Harry's encounter with Voldemort.  
  
Speaking of Voldemort, Serenity knew that she had to take Harry to the council, as much as she would love to just keep him.  
  
*Come on, little one* she said in unicorn speech, knowing fully well that Harry could not understand her, *We have to go back to the others.*  
  
Serenity motioned with her head for him to climb on, and after a while, Harry complied. He grabbed Serenity's mane and off they were. Harry had to laugh, loudly. This ride was fun! He enjoyed the wind blowing in his face.  
  
Serenity smiled, as good as a unicorn could smile, as she sensed her cu- the cub's joy. Already, she noticed, Harry had a firm place in her heart.  
  
They reached the Oak Clearing in next to no time. Serenity took a deep breath and stepped into the clearing.  
  
Cassandra, the wise old rabbit, smiled at her mildly.  
  
~So you have decided to return, Serenity. And I see you have brought company.~  
  
Serenity kneeled down gracefully in the middle of the clearing and let Harry slip off. The human child was staring around in awe.  
  
~Yes, Wise one,~ Serenity said and stood back up, ~This is Harry Potter. I found him in the outskirts of the forest, in a small clearing, crying.~  
  
Cassandra nodded and fixed her attention on Harry.  
  
Harry stared around the clearing. There were animals all around, from what Harry could see there were a wolf, fox, stag, owl, crow, blackbird, snake, squirrel, rabbit and of course the unicorn that had brought him here.  
  
Harry noticed that the rabbit was looking at him intently and fixed it with his curious eyes.  
  
Cassandra smiled as she saw the innocent curiosity in Harry's eyes. No matter what Crawx and Nocturn had said, Harry was no danger to their small community. Cassandra was very wise and so she knew that Harry was still young enough to learn the ways of the forest, including their language. She turned back to Serenity who was watching her with an anxious expression on her face.  
  
~I presume, Serenity, that you brought the child here for permission to take care of him?~  
  
Serenity, once again astounded by Cassandra's psychic abilities, just nodded.  
  
~Very well then, Serenity,~ Cassandra said firmly, but not unkindly. ~You have the permission. Only one thing, make sure to teach him the ways of the forest properly. He needs to know our laws and our language in order to fit in. You may take Harry now. Good luck, Serenity.~  
  
Serenity bowed and thanked Cassandra politely, but on the inside her heart was jumping with joy. She was allowed to keep Harry, everything was alright!  
  
Serenity nudged Harry with her soft muzzle and kneeled down again. Harry, this time, understood immediately and climbed on quickly.  
  
Serenity stood up carefully and took off. She was going home to her group now. She knew that the other unicorns would accept Harry as one of their own. Harry would grow up like a unicorn, would know the ways of the forest, would speak the language of the unicorns and the language of all forest animals.  
  
Yes, Harry was going to grow up like Starlight should have- her little unicorn child.  
  
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A/N: What do you think?  
  
See ya,  
  
Felinity 


	4. The Language of the Forest

Unicorn Child  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! I do own Serenity, Stardust and the other unicorns, as well as Rex and Crawx and the whole forest council!!! And I own the plot! ^_^  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
The Language of the Forest  
  
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"bla bla" = human speech  
  
*bla bla* = unicorn speech  
  
~bla bla~ = language of all forest animals  
  
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Harry sat on the unicorn's back, looking around with wide eyes. He couldn't believe that this was happening! All his life, the Dursleys had told him that there was no such thing as magic. That there were no witches and wizards, no phoenixes or unicorns. That fantasy was something bad, senseless wisps of smoke bred in the minds of old women or imbeciles.  
  
They had tried to forbid him to dream by treating him like a slave, but had not succeeded. Harry of course, being four years old, had never stopped dreaming up worlds of fantasy and bliss, carefully hiding them from his relatives. Harry smiled defiantly. If the Dursleys could see him now! Riding on the back of one of those supposedly non-existing creatures- a unicorn! But then, Harry remembered sadly that the Dursleys were dead.  
  
True, he hadn't liked them, but still, he never wanted them to die! Before Harry could prevent it, a small tear had escaped his left eye and was running down his cheek. Harry wiped it away angrily. This was all over now, he decided. He would never go back to the horrible humans.  
  
Serenity sensed the sudden mood change in the little cub and snorted, sadly. The poor child had been through so much even though he was still so young!  
  
Suddenly, Serenity heard something in the bushes in front of them. She stopped dead and stood perfectly still, scenting the wind. Harry, on her back, seemed to understand that he needed to be silent and didn't move.  
  
They stood like that for a while. Serenity caught a familiar smell..... there was a small 'crack'..... and then, Stardust, Serenity's oldest son, stepped out of the woods. Serenity breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Stardust walked over to the two of them and nuzzled his mother's cheek in greeting.  
  
*Hello, mother!* he greeted, smiling at her as good as a unicorn could smile. *Who is the little human on your back?*  
  
Serenity jumped slightly. She had almost forgotten about Harry, so light and silent the child was. *That, Stardust, will be explained as soon as we reach the unicorn's den,* she said. Stardust held her gaze for a few moments, and then nodded. The two of them continued on their way.  
  
Harry, meanwhile, had watched the proceedings with awe. There were more unicorns than one! Maybe there was a whole group living in the forest? Harry studied the new unicorn with interest. While the unicorn he was riding on was a pure, untainted white and had a long, straight horn and rather long fur, as well as clear, violet eyes, the new arrival was a different colour. It was still white, but a strange, silvery shade of white, especially its slightly shorter horn. Also, the second unicorn was a little smaller than 'his' unicorn, and its fur was shorter. And, Harry noticed, its eyes were a brilliant, crystal blue. A strange snort in front of him brought Harry out of his reverie. He gasped.  
  
They had stepped out onto a clearing. A small stream was running through it, willows shadowing the beach. Because yes, there was a bit of sand on the river's edges.  
  
In the back of the clearing, there was a strange looking rock. It was gigantic, and looking more closely, Harry noticed that there was a hole in the rock, big enough for a unicorn to step through. A curtain of ivy masked the cave (because that's what Harry thought it was). They neared the cave and stepped through the softly rustling curtain of ivy—and Harry gasped again.  
  
They had not, as he had assumed, entered a cave, the rock seemed to be some kind of doorway instead. He was now in a huge valley. Mountains that had definitely not been there before were its borders. The valley was full of green grass, trees and plants. The sky in the valley was completely void of any clouds, billions of stars twinkled down upon the three new arrivals in the valley.  
  
But, what shocked Harry most, were the valley's occupants. All over the place, there were unicorns. They were laying on the floor, their sides rising and falling gently. They were obviously asleep. Harry stared at the beautiful animals in awe. Each of them seemed to emit a faint glow, and the very air in this valley seemed pure. Harry was almost afraid to breathe, afraid to taint this wonderful, magical place with his presence.  
  
Suddenly, the unicorn that had carried him kneeled down and turned its head to look at him. Harry understood and slipped off its back onto the wonderfully soft grass. The two unicorns stepped away from him- and then, suddenly, they both reared and screamed loudly. Harry gasped and jumped and curled into a little ball in fright.  
  
He stayed like this for a while, shaking..... but when nothing happened, Harry opened his eyes cautiously. And jumped. While he hadn't been looking, the valley's occupants had assembled all around him. Harry stared around in awe.  
  
There were unicorns all over the place, they were standing in a circle that had formed around Harry. All of them were looking at him. The unicorns' furs were a pure, shining white, silver, or, the smallest ones, gold. Harry noticed that the smallest unicorns didn't even have a horn yet. If it weren't for their fur colour, Harry would have thought them to be horses.  
  
The unicorns' eye colours varied. Harry could see everything from black, brown, grey and blue, to golden, violet and silver. Harry noticed with surprise that none of the unicorns had green eyes, like him. All of the unicorns were glowing faintly, and they radiated such pureness, that Harry suddenly felt very exposed and even dirty- like he wasn't worthy to be in such wonderful creatures' presences.  
  
He unconsciously lowered his eyes in respect. A ripple went through the circle of unicorns. Harry could tell that they were conversing with each other, and it was definitely the oddest thing he had ever heard. The unicorns were producing snorting, clucking, whistling and whickering sounds, their language sounded like the wind rustling the leaves of a tree, like raindrops falling from the sky, like birds singing in the evening. Harry listened with fascination, entranced by this strange language he could not understand.  
  
Suddenly, five important-looking unicorns stepped forward. Harry recognised two of them, they were the ones that had brought him here. The other three unicorns looked very old, their fur was almost greying, their eyes were deep and full of wisdom.  
  
Harry looked at them in awe. They radiated power, purity and- love. Harry vaguely recognised the feeling, though he hadn't felt it in three years. The five of them stopped in front of Harry. Then, one of the old unicorns stepped forward. Instinctively, Harry remained very still, and did not even flinch when the unicorn touched the cut on his forehead with its horn.  
  
Harry felt an odd, tingling sensation and closed his eyes. He could feel the unicorn's presence inside of him. It was in his mind and in his heart, studying Harry's emotions and feelings, examining his every thought. Harry began to feel very exposed, because he knew that he couldn't hide anything from this wise creature.  
  
The search, as Harry called it, lasted for almost five minutes. After that, the unicorn seemed satisfied, because it snorted and stepped back. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. But it had not ended yet. The next unicorn stepped forward and touched its horn to Harry's forehead and began examining Harry's thoughts. Harry sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the unicorn to see his very essence.  
  
After the second unicorn was satisfied, the third stepped forward and repeated the process. By the time the three of them were finished, Harry was feeling extremely exhausted and yawned almost constantly. He was not used to exposing his feelings to anyone and together the three unicorns had taken down every wall Harry had built around his mind and heart in the three years with the Dursleys. All Harry wanted to do now was sleep, sleep, and never have to wake up again.  
  
But then, the big unicorn with the violet eyes that had carried Harry to this magical place stepped forward, and Harry knew immediately that something extraordinary was about to happen. He sat up a little straighter and looked up expectantly at the unicorn. She, for Harry was suddenly sure it was a she, seemed to smile at him, and then her horn touched Harry's forehead.  
  
It was unlike anything Harry had ever felt before. Images and memories that were definitely not his own began racing through his head, and it took Harry a while to realize that those were the unicorn's memories. Serenity. That was the unicorn's name. Harry was dimly aware that while he was viewing the amazing memories of Serenity, the unicorn was watching Harry's life- from the moment when he had been born, up to the moment when she had found him in the clearing.  
  
Harry watched in awe. Serenity had been born eighteen years ago as the first and only daughter of the unicorn group leader. She had been raised as a future leader, learning to take on responsibility early in her life. Harry watched her grow up, watched her fur change from golden to silver to the pure white it was now.  
  
Harry watched in anger and sadness as Serenity's mother was killed by a human who had thought her to be a rabid horse. Harry didn't know what rabid was, and why hadn't the man seen Serenity's mother's horn?  
  
Serenity's mind supplied the answers, explaining shortly what rabies was and that humans, at least the non-magical humans, could not see a unicorn's horn.  
  
Harry watched as Serenity's father was killed in a wood fire two years later, and watched as an only nine-year-old Serenity had to lead the unicorn group.  
  
He watched as Serenity saw her first-born son, Stardust, for the first time, and watched Stardust grow up into the unicorn he had met today. Because Harry recognised Stardust as the unicorn that had met up with them halfway to the unicorn's den. Yes, that was the name of this place.  
  
He watched as Serenity had Starlight, feeling her love and happiness for her daughter. But, only a month after Starlight had been born, Serenity's mate had mysteriously vanished. Nobody knew what had become of him, and Serenity was forced to raise their daughter alone.  
  
Harry watched as, only a week before, Starlight died in a thunderstorm. He felt sad for the little unicorn he never got to know. Then, the stream of images stopped, and Harry was left staring into Serenity's beautiful, violet eyes. He felt shaken. Never in his young life had he experienced anything like this, and quite frankly, Harry was scared.  
  
He searched Serenity's eyes for reassurance, and found what he was looking for.  
  
Serenity noticed the small human cub's insecurity and nuzzled his cheek affectionately. This seemed to calm the small human down. Serenity caught a strong sense of wonder and happiness coming from Harry and noticed with a jolt of both anger and sadness that she was the first living being to show this small child kindness in almost exactly three years.  
  
Her insides were burning with anger when she thought of Harry's memories which she had just seen. No wonder that the child didn't want to go back to the humans, if all of them were like those Dursleys, she couldn't blame him. Serenity shoved those thoughts aside. She had a bond to form right now.  
  
Slowly, carefully, Serenity let her soul and love enter the human child's body through her horn and began to prod at Harry's heart gently.  
  
Harry felt a strange sensation. It was as if someone was trying to enter his heart, trying to break through the natural defences every living being had around his or her heart. Instinctively, Harry knew that Serenity would never hurt him, and he was curious. Slowly, he lowered his defences and let Serenity's spirit, or whatever it was, enter his heart.  
  
Serenity felt the cub's acceptance and smiled. She pushed forward gently, until she had reached the very core of the child's heart. It was pure white, innocent, childlike. Serenity smiled happily when she realized that Cassandra, the wise old rabbit, had been right. Harry was still young and innocent enough to learn the language and the ways of the forest.  
  
Serenity allowed some of her soul to flow into Harry, and took some of Harry's soul with her. Then, she took a deep breath, and spoke. *Hello, Harry.*  
  
Harry gasped in shock when he could suddenly understand what the unicorn was saying. He hadn't been able to understand a single word before! And now, Serenity was talking to him.  
  
"How- how did you do that?" Harry asked, shocked and awed. But it didn't come out in the unicorns' language. Instead, he spoke in human tongue. Harry felt disappointment wash through him. Maybe he had only imagined Serenity speaking to him-  
  
*Do not be afraid , Harry,* The voice came again. *You cannot talk to me yet, but you can understand what I am saying. I am going to teach you the language of the unicorns, you are going to be able to talk in no time.*  
  
Harry gaped, awed, at the unicorn leader. "Wow....." he muttered softly. Suddenly, Harry realized just how tired he was. He couldn't suppress a huge yawn. Serenity seemed to smile at him. *Sleep now, little one,* she whispered, nuzzling Harry again, *It's late. I will talk to you in the morning.*  
  
With that, Serenity stepped back and lay down in the grass beside Harry. The other unicorns followed suit, returning to their sleeping places. Harry watched in awe as the beautiful animals scattered in the valley, their faint glow bright enough to rival the twinkling stars above. Harry suddenly felt quite alone. It was dark, and silent, and even though the unicorns were here, Harry felt strangely left out-  
  
*Come here.* Harry turned around to find Serenity looking at him. Desperate for some kind of comfort, Harry crawled over to the unicorn and looked at her questioningly. Serenity made an unmistakable gesture with her head and Harry smiled, happily. He snuggled down beside Serenity, laying his head on one of her front legs. Serenity nuzzled his cheek once more, and Harry felt a wonderful warmth inside of him.  
  
All of his fears and worries and bad memories were suddenly forgotten, and with a happy sigh, and a last look at the stars, Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep.  
  
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Harry woke up to something soft prodding him gently. He moaned and turned over. The soft thing prodded him again, and Harry opened his eyes, slowly. His heart skipped a beat. It had been real! There was a unicorn standing beside him, prodding him with its nose. Harry recognised Serenity.  
  
*Good morning, Harry!* Serenity said cheerfully, smiling down at Harry. Harry smiled at the way she spoke his name. It sounded like a combination of a snort and a whistle. Harry tried to imitate it, but failed hopelessly. He collapsed to the floor in a fit of giggles.  
  
Serenity smiled when she listened to Harry try to pronounce his own name in unicorn language. Oh yes, the child would learn eventually. She prodded Harry again and the giggling child got up. *Follow, me.* she said and turned to lead the way to some bushes in the back of the valley.  
  
They were full of strange, red, star-shaped berries. Serenity had once asked her grandfather about those berries, and the old unicorn had smiled, wisely. ~Ah, Serenity,~ he had said, ~Those berries are a gift to us from the great unicorn himself. They grow nowhere else in this forest, probably nowhere else in the world. They have been here as long as us unicorns, and when the last unicorn in this forest dies or leaves, the starberries will go with it.~  
  
Serenity smiled sadly. She hoped that the time when the unicorns would die out or would have to leave this forest, her home, was very far away. They had reached the bushes. Harry was staring in awe at the berries growing on them. They were almost as big as his palm, red, and star-shaped. Harry had never seen anything like that in his (admittedly short) life.  
  
Serenity nudged Harry when she realized that the cub wasn't going to eat. *Go on, Harry,* she smiled, *Starberries aren't poisonous. Trust me, you'll like them!* Harry approached the starberries hesitantly. He reached up and plucked one from its branch. Immediately, there was a faint 'pop', and another berry grew in the place of the berry Harry had just taken.  
  
"Wow," Harry muttered, impressed. He hesitantly brought the starberry to his mouth and took a small bite. It tasted incredible! The berry was sweet, juicy, and tasted faintly like strawberry. Harry grinned and ate the rest of the berry quickly, ignoring the juice that was running down his chin and onto his clothes. He quickly got another berry and devoured it, and then another.  
  
But after the third berry, Harry realized that he couldn't eat anymore. The berries were very filling. Serenity snorted disapprovingly when she saw what a mess Harry was. The child's face was smeared with red, his fingers were sticky with juice, and his already torn and bloodstained clothing was soaked. She shook her head.  
  
*Come on, Harry,* she sighed, *Let's get you cleaned up.* Harry followed Serenity obediently out of the valley and to the river he had noticed the evening before. Once there, Serenity nudged him in the direction of the river. Harry looked at her puzzled. What did she want? *A bath, Harry,* Serenity said patiently, *You need to take a bath.*  
  
Harry looked at the river uneasily. The current was gentle and it was not very deep, Harry could easily stand in there. But it looked so cold! But Serenity nudged him again and Harry slowly shed his clothing. Then, he climbed into the water. It was freezing. Harry gasped for air for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and dived under water. He washed himself as quickly as possible, until all the blood and starberry juice was off.  
  
Then, he practically shot out of the water. But it wasn't much better there, a small breeze was rustling the trees, and Harry noticed that his skin was beginning to turn blue. His teeth were chattering and he was shaking uncontrollably. Serenity eyed him with worry. What was wrong with the cub? And then it dawned on her. She could have hit herself!  
  
*I'm sorry, Harry!* she exclaimed. *I forgot that you humans don't have your own fur. Wait, I'll get you one!* Serenity quickly ran to the edge of the clearing and plucked off a leaf from a bush. Then, she carried it back over to Harry and put it on the shivering child's head. Serenity closed her eyes and willed the leaf to take the form of Harry's body. She touched her horn to the leaf and could feel the magic begin to work.  
  
Harry abruptly stopped shivering. He felt very warm. Harry looked down on his body and gasped. He was wearing the strangest clothes he had ever see. They seemed to be made of leaves, but felt extremely comfortable. He was wearing some kind of light green sweater, with a hood, and a pair of dark green trousers. Around his waist, there was a single branch of ivy acting as a belt. Harry giggled, those were definitely he best clothes he had ever owned!  
  
"Thank you!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Serenity's neck. Serenity nuzzled Harry's cheek and smiled. She could guess what the child had just said. *It's pronounced Thank You, Harry.* she said. Harry stopped and tried to imitate the strange language of the unicorns. Serenity had to admit that he was getting better. What Harry managed to say sounded like 'Thankou', or 'Thanyu', but he was definitely close. *Thank You.* Serenity said again, very slowly.  
  
*Thank You.* Harry said. Then, realizing that he had done it, Harry giggled happily and hugged Serenity again. *That's it, Harry!* Serenity cried excitedly, *You've got it!* Harry laughed happily. *Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!* he giggled and let himself plop down to the floor, clutching his sides from all the laughter. He had never felt this happy and proud in his life before!  
  
Suddenly, there was a strange whistling sound in the air. Serenity looked up sharply and saw- Crawx, the king of the crows and ravens. Crawx swooped down beside Serenity, but he was not looking at her. He was eyeing Harry with no little amount of malice. ~Crawx,~ Serenity greeted coolly. She had not forgotten Crawx' suggestion to leave Harry to die from the day before.  
  
~Serenity,~ Crawx nodded back, not taking his eyes off Harry for a second. Harry had realized that something was wrong. He was sitting on the floor quietly, holding Crawx' gaze calmly. Crawx was clearly angered by Harry's lack of reaction, but judging by the innocent and curious expression Harry was wearing, he had not seen that.  
  
~So,~ Crawx croaked, ~This is the famous Harry Potter, defeater of Lord Voldemort. Doesn't look very tough to me.~ Serenity snorted angrily. ~He's a small child, Crawx,~ she said sharply, ~Leave him alone!~  
  
~Alone?~ Crawx laughed maniacally. It was a truly disconcerting sound. ~I will leave him alone, for now. But remember what I said, Serenity,~ he sneered at the unicorn leader, ~This human child will be the death of us yet! One day, you are going to regret raising him!~ And with that, Crawx let out an ear-splitting scream and took off.  
  
Serenity was fuming with anger. She reared, as if she could hit Crawx with her hooves, and snorted angrily. She couldn't stand that crow! After she had calmed down a bit, Serenity noticed Harry watching her nervously. She sighed and nuzzled the small human's hand gently. *Don't worry, Harry,* she said reassuringly. *Crawx won't hurt you.*  
  
Harry looked a lot calmer. He tried to pronounce the word *Harry*. Serenity smiled at his first attempts and said it again, slowly. It took Harry a while, his name was rather complicated in unicorn language, but eventually he managed. They continued like that. Serenity was teaching Harry how to pronounce the words correctly, and Harry learned at an amazing speed.  
  
By the time the unicorns and Harry had lunch, Harry could already converse a little with the other unicorns. Harry loved learning this new language. He discovered that it was rather simple, while the unicorns did have words for the different persons (I, you, he and so on), they only had one verb form for all persons. And since Harry was only four yeas old, he learned the unicorn language at an incredible rate.  
  
After lunch, however, even Harry had enough of learning. He decided to try out his new skills. *Serenity?* Harry asked. Serenity beamed down at Harry. *Yes, Harry?* *I-* Harry paused, trying to think of a way to say what he wanted with his limited vocabulary. *I not want learn-* Harry tried. Serenity frowned. *Do you mean that you want to take a break, Harry?*  
  
Harry smiled in relief. *Yes!* he said quickly. Serenity smiled and nuzzled Harry's cheek. *Of course, Harry,* Serenity said, *But don't go too far. Remember, you cannot speak the language of all forest animals yet, and not even the language of the unicorns. You can only understand me because of the bond we have. Alright?*  
  
Harry nodded earnestly. *I not go far.* Serenity had to fight back a chuckle. Harry had the cutest way of saying what he wanted! Granted, he had only started learning unicorn language this morning. Serenity was proud of him.  
  
Harry grinned happily and started to walk away from the clearing and the unicorns. He wasn't afraid of the forest now that it wasn't dark anymore, in fact he had always rather liked trees. Being a careless four-year-old child, Harry quickly forgot his promise to Serenity and went deeper and deeper into the forest.  
  
The forest fascinated him. Most of the trees around him seemed to be very old, and when Harry stopped and stood very still form a moment, holding his breath, he imagined that he could hear them whispering. A strange energy seemed to emit from everything in this forest, Harry noticed. It was- magical. Harry couldn't think of a better word to describe this feeling.  
  
Whistling softly to himself, Harry stepped out into another clearing- and stopped. He recognised this place. He had been there the evening before after Serenity had found him. There had been many animals around at that time. Now, Harry was alone. Well- not quite alone. There, at the end of the clearing, stood a very old tree. Harry didn't know what kind of tree it was, but he felt almost sure that it was an oak.  
  
Harry felt drawn to the oak somehow, and cautiously approached the old tree. It was surrounded by a strange aura- pure, pulsing life, Harry realized. His breath hitched in his throat as he slowly raised a hand and laid it onto the rough bark. His hand suddenly began to feel very warm, and Harry had the feeling that the old oak was welcoming him.  
  
~You have been accepted by the old oak. This is very rare.~ Harry gasped and whirled around. Standing behind him was a wolf. Harry recognised it from the evening before. He backed away a bit, but his back hit the tree. Harry was trapped. He gulped.  
  
Rex approached the tree. The human cub seemed to be afraid of him. ~Don't be afraid, child,~ Rex said reassuringly, ~I won't hurt you.~  
  
Harry pressed his back to the old oak. He didn't understand what the wolf was saying. And even though it seemed to be friendly, all of Harry's instincts were screaming at him to run!!! and never come back here.  
  
Rex sighed when he realized that the human cub could not understand him. Of course not, he admonished himself. He had only come into the forest the day before. Even though Serenity was a good teacher, she couldn't have possibly taught him to talk yet! Rex frowned. He needed to communicate with the cub! And suddenly, he had an idea.  
  
There was a legend that sometimes, just sometimes, when the old oak accepted a living being, it would also grant them a wish. Rex had never heard of a story that proved this legend to be more than, well, a legend, but he thought that it couldn't hurt to try. He approached the oak cautiously and bowed deeply.  
  
~Wise oak, please grant me permission to speak.~ Rex said calmly. There was a moment of silence, then the oak responded. ~Speak, Rex, king of the wolfs!~ It commanded in its low, rumbling voice. Rex noticed that Harry had jumped away from the old oak in shock.  
  
~Wise oak,~ Rex began. ~I once heard of a legend saying that sometimes, when you accepted a living being, you would grant the being a wish.~ Rex paused, but the old oak did not say anything. Rex took a deep breath and continued. ~Am I correct in assuming that you accepted this little human cub, Harry Potter?~  
  
The oak did not say anything, but it tilted its branches in what was unmistakably a nod. ~Wise oak,~ Rex said, ~Would you grant Harry Potter a wish?~ This time, the old oak did not react at first. Then, a thin branch slowly crept down and touched Harry's cheek.  
  
Harry flinched slightly when the tree touched his face, but instinctively stayed quiet and still. He had a feeling that something very important was going to happen soon. He could feel a gentle prodding in his mind, and let the oak's spirit in. It was like the evening before with the unicorns, Harry realized. The oak seemed to look at his very core.  
  
After a few minutes, the tree seemed satisfied and pulled back its branch. ~The human child will be granted a wish.~ The old oak said calmly. Rex released a breath that he hadn't even noticed he had been holding before. He felt a smile spread across his face. ~Wise oak,~ Rex said, ~since the Potter cub does not speak our language yet, could I speak for him?~ The old oak seemed to consider this for a moment, and then nodded. ~Speak, Rex.~  
  
Rex took another deep breath. ~Please, wise oak, give Harry Potter the language of the forest.~  
  
The old oak remained silent for a long time. Rex already thought that it wasn't going to answer him at all and made to apologise for somehow insulting it, when the oak broke the silence. ~You are wise, King of the Wolfs. Harry Potter will be given the ability to speak the language of the forest.~  
  
With that, a strange, golden coloured branch began to wrap itself around Harry's chest. Normally, Harry would have panicked, but something told him at stay calm. Something told him that there was no danger. He felt a prodding in his mind again and let the oak in, wondering what it could want now. And then he gasped. Knowledge rushed into his head, knowledge of a language that was totally new to Harry. With it came the information he needed to know.  
  
This, the language he was being taught right now, was the language of all forest animals. The oak was teaching it to him because he, Harry Potter, had been granted a wish. And Rex, the king of the wolfs, had made his wish for him. This kept up for a few minutes, Harry felt like his brain was being flooded with new information. When the oak finally released him, Harry was gasping for air.  
  
He sank to the floor shakily. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. Harry raised his head cautiously and looked up- into the yellow eyes of a wolf. Rex, Harry realized. This was Rex. ~Are you alright?~ The wolf asked worriedly.  
  
Harry blinked in confusion when he realized that he could suddenly understand him. ~I- yes,~ Harry answered. ~Thank you, I'm fine.~ He added quickly, not wanting to appear impolite. It was the one thing the Dursleys had always taught him. He suddenly noticed how fluffy the wolf's fur looked. ~Can I pet you?~ Harry asked, before he clapped his hand in front of his mouth.  
  
But Rex seemed to be amused, because he chuckled. ~Yes, you may.~ Harry blinked for a moment and then reached up and cautiously ran his hand through the wolf's thick, soft, grey fur. Rex seemed to enjoy himself because he shut his eyes and allowed Harry to pet him for a while. He liked this human cub, Rex decided, as he tilted his head to give Harry better access to the space behind his ear.  
  
"OH!" Harry suddenly realized something. Rex turned to look at him questioningly. ~I almost forgot to thank you!~ Harry exclaimed. Rex blinked, confused. ~What for?~ he wanted to know. ~Well, for this,~ Harry said earnestly, looking up at Rex with huge, green eyes. ~For the language of the forest.~ Rex chuckled and licked Harry's cheek. ~It was nothing, little one,~ he growled.  
  
Harry turned to look at the old oak. ~Thank you, too!~ He whispered. The tree didn't answer, but somehow Harry knew that it had understood him.  
  
~I need to go now, little one,~ Rex said, ~My pack is waiting for me. And I think that you should return to Serenity as well. She might be worried about you.~  
  
Harry nodded and smiled innocently at the wolf king. ~Ok, Rex, bye-bye!~ Rex laughed a bit and licked Harry's cheek again, and then he left the clearing.  
  
Harry smiled happily after his new-found friend and got up. He realized that Rex was probably right. Serenity had to be worried about him! With a last glance and smile at the old oak, Harry turned and went back in the direction he had come from. He smiled at the trees and birds in the forest and giggled when he saw two young rabbits play.  
  
Harry had never felt this free in his life before and he was happy about his decision to leave the humans. After another five minutes of walking, Harry noticed a butterfly sitting on a flower in a small clearing and crouched down in front of it, watching it. He held out his finger and giggled happily when the butterfly sat down on it.  
  
The peace of the moment was only disturbed when a shrill cry suddenly rang throughout the clearing. ~NOOOO!!!!!!! HELP!!!!~  
  
Harry gasped and jumped up. Who had screamed? ~HELP ME!~ Harry was alarmed. Someone needed help! Without thinking any further, Harry began to run in the direction of the screams.  
  
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A/N: Hehe, Cliffhanger! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happened.....  
  
As always.....  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!  
  
See ya,  
  
Felinity 


	5. The Ways of the Forest

Unicorn Child  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!!! He belongs solely to the goddess of writing, in other words, Joanne K. Rowling. I do own the plot, the forest animals, the unicorns and..... um....... the old oak!!!  
  
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"bla bla" = Human Speech  
  
~bla bla~ = Language of all Forest Animals  
  
*bla bla* = Unicorn Speech  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
The Ways of the Forest  
  
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Harry had never felt this free in his life before and he was happy about his decision to leave the humans. After another five minutes of walking, Harry noticed a butterfly sitting on a flower in a small clearing and crouched down in front of it, watching it. He held out his finger and giggled happily when the butterfly sat down on it.  
  
The peace of the moment was only disturbed when a shrill cry suddenly rang throughout the clearing. ~NOOOO!!!!!!! HELP!!!!~  
  
Harry gasped and jumped up. Who had screamed? ~HELP ME!~ Harry was alarmed. Someone needed help! Without thinking any further, Harry began to run in the direction of the screams.  
  
As he got closer to the source, he frantically tried to think of a way to help the poor animal in danger. What if it was being attacked by- a bear? Harry was only four years old after all and absolutely no match for such a strong animal!  
  
Still, Harry sped up, feeling the inexplicable urge to help the one who needed it.  
  
In no time, Harry reached a rather big clearing. A big crack went through the middle of it, and Harry realized with a jolt that the shouts were coming from there. Completely out of breath, Harry lay down on his stomach and cautiously crawled to the edge of the crack. He peered down and blanched.  
  
The crack was very deep. Harry did not know exactly how deep, but guessed that it had to be almost fifty feet. And there, just a feet below Harry, a tree root stuck out of the earth. Dangling from it on only one paw, was a baby squirrel. It seemed to be rather weak already, and Harry noticed that its left hind leg was strangely twisted.  
  
Upon seeing Harry, the squirrel stopped struggling and called,  
  
~Help me! Please, get me out of here!~ The poor thing sounded quite desperate. Reaching down into the crack, Harry hoped that the little animal would not bite him.  
  
~Hang on there,~ he said, ~I'll get you. Just don't struggle, ok?~  
  
The poor creature nodded its head. Harry realized that its paws had begun to slip off the root. Quickly and gently he put his hand around the squirrel's body. To Harry's immense delight, it did not bite him, and it did not struggle either. Slowly and carefully, Harry lifted the squirrel out of the crack and gently laid it down onto the ground next to him.  
  
The squirrel whimpered its thanks. Seeing how twisted the squirrel's hind leg still was, Harry realized that it was probably broken. Being only four years old, Harry had no idea what to do and began feeling utterly helpless.  
  
To make it even worse, the baby squirrel started to cry for his parents. Harry could feel his lower lip starting to tremble.  
  
~No,~ he whispered desperately, stroking the small squirrel, ~Please don't cry, I don't know what to do, please don't- ~  
  
The squirrel's sobs were infectious, and all too soon Harry found himself trying to hold back his own tears.  
  
"Help!" he called, not realizing that he was talking in human tongue again. "P-please, someone- help us!"  
  
Harry listened, but the only sound he heard was the squirrel's sobs and his own sniffling.  
  
~Rex!~ Harry called. Again, nothing happened.  
  
*Serenity!* Was it his imagination, or had he heard the unicorn answer his desperate call in the distance? Harry held his breath. Yes! There it was again!  
  
*Serenity! Help!* He could hear hooves thundering across the forest floor, coming closer and closer- until, finally, the unicorn burst through the bushes. Harry got up and stumbled towards her immediately, throwing his arms around her neck and trying to stop shaking.  
  
Serenity watched worriedly as the small human cub attached himself to her neck. She nuzzled it gently with her soft nose and muttered nonsensical, soothing words into his ear. After a few minutes, Harry seemed to calm down and Serenity nudged him gently back towards the crack.  
  
While Serenity had been comforting Harry, many animals had assembled. Apparently, all of them had heard the squirrel and Harry's cries of help. they had just taken quite long to get there. Harry noticed with relief that the baby squirrel was being comforted by its mother, who was also admonishing it for walking off into the forest on its own.  
  
~Ahem.~  
  
Harry turned around swiftly. Serenity had moved on to the animals and was talking to a fox. Behind Harry, there was another squirrel, bigger than the other two, a huge, dark-coloured owl, and the crow that had talked to Serenity earlier that very day. All of them were eyeing Harry strangely.  
  
~Um, did you want to talk to me?~ Harry asked uncertainly.  
  
The three animals exchanged surprised glances. Harry realized that they probably hadn't thought he would be able to understand them yet. The squirrel shook its head and hopped forward importantly.  
  
~Yes. Human cub, the little squirrel you saved was one of my children. My name is Dandelion, and I am the elected representative of all squirrels in this forest. I have come to thank you for saving one of our number, as well as my son.~  
  
Harry blinked in surprise. He remembered reading a book about politics in the Dursleys' house. It had been dreadfully boring, and he hadn't understood much of it, but it had been the only thing to do Harry could find. He thought he remembered what 'elected' and 'representative' meant. Realizing that the three animals in front of him were apparently waiting for an answer, he shook himself out of his thoughts and smiled happily at the squirrel 'representative'.  
  
~You don't have to thank me, it was my pleasure to help.~ If there was one thing the Dursleys had taught Harry, it was that you always had to be polite.  
  
The smile seemed to work, too, as the squirrel suddenly seemed to look a lot less stern.  
  
~Yes, well, I had to thank you anyway- oh yes, these are Nocturn, lord of the owls, and Crawx, the speaker of the crows and ravens.~  
  
Harry gave the two of them a brilliant, innocent smile.  
  
~It's nice to meet you!~ The big owl nodded its head majestically and responded that it was a pleasure, while the crow just mumbled incoherently.  
  
Before Harry could say anything else, something nudged him between his shoulder blades and he turned around again. It was Serenity. She nodded politely to Nocturn, Crawx and Dandelion, then nuzzled Harry's cheek.  
  
*Come on, Harry, let's go home now.* Harry smiled and waved goodbye to the three animal leaders.  
  
~Bye-bye Crawx, Nocturn, Dandelion, see you sometime!~ Then, he climbed onto Serenity's back and allowed his surrogate mother to carry him back to the unicorn's den.  
  
*Harry,* Serenity asked, *May I ask how you learned the language of the forest so quickly?*  
  
Harry frowned, trying to answer in unicorn language. *Tree me give-* Harry stopped. How did you say 'wish' in unicorn? But Serenity seemed to have understood anyway, because she stopped short and craned her neck around to face him.  
  
*Tree? Do you mean, the old oak, Harry?* Harry shrugged. Then he nodded. There probably weren't too many talking trees in this forest.  
  
*The old oak? It gave you the ability to speak the language of the forest?* Harry did not understand why Serenity was so shocked. Surely this was a normal thing that happened to loads of people- or animals? Harry nodded again. Serenity snorted excitedly.  
  
*Harry, tell me exactly what happened, in forest language, it will be easier.*  
  
Harry smiled and launched into a detailed and slightly chaotic explanation of what he had seen and what had happened to him after he had left Serenity. He often got sidetracked when his childish excitement got the better of him and Serenity had to stop him gently.  
  
Finally, Harry had finished. Serenity nodded slowly, thoughtfully.  
  
*Harry,* she said, *First of all, know that it is not at all normal for a living being to be granted a wish by the old oak. It is a rare occurrence, and a very great honour indeed. In fact, I don't think it has happened in a few centuries.*  
  
Harry's eyes widened. A few centuries? That- that sounded like an awfully long time! Serenity smiled.  
  
*Also, that was a very brave thing you did, running to help Dandelion's kid. Just try to be more careful in the future, it could have been dangerous, alright?*  
  
Harry nodded, earnestly. Serenity smiled again.  
  
*Good. Now that that's settled, let's go home. Hold on tight!*  
  
And with that, the unicorn queen took of running. Harry squealed in laughter as he burrowed his hands in Serenity's beautiful mane. At that moment, he decided that he loved life in the forest. Everyone was nice to him, he was learning new languages, he was living with animals that shouldn't even exist in reality, and he felt more free than he ever had before. Yes, life was good for Harry Potter.  
  
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Over the next two weeks, Serenity and the other unicorns took it upon themselves to teach Harry the ways of the forest. Harry got educated in recognising and 'reading' the forest animals' footprints, until he could tell whether the animal in question had been male, female, heavy, light, in a hurry or walking slowly. He could even tell quite well when they had been there.  
  
He was also taught how to behave when meeting older and wiser forest animals. There was a strange and complex codex for such cases and a million others. It was lucky that Harry was a fast and eager learner, as well as quite patient for his age, or he would have given up after the first few days.  
  
Rex, Arya (the queen of foxes), Dandelion (who had become Harry's friend after Harry had saved his child), Crown (the king of stags), Cassandra (the wise rabbit) and Nocturn were delighted to help with Harry's training.  
  
Crawx was still a little cranky while talking to Harry, but Harry suspected that it was just the way he was. At least he wasn't insulting Harry anymore, and he did nothing to prevent Harry's friendship with Sayama, his youngest daughter. The two of them had met only a few days after Harry had met her father and had become great friends almost immediately.  
  
Harry had, much to his surprise, found many friends in the forest. Sammy, the squirrel boy he had saved, and Sayama were only a few of them.  
  
Harry's best friend in the forest, however, was Prince. He was Rex' oldest son and was about Harry's age. Prince would one time be the leader of the forest's wolfs and was raised as such. Harry had met Prince while playing in a small clearing near Rex' den. Prince had asked Harry what he was doing, and Harry had answered that he was playing 'Hide-n'-Seek' with his squirrel friend. Prince had immediately been intrigued, never having heard of that game before, and Harry had told him to play with them.  
  
That had been the start of a great friendship. Not much later, the fox queen's daughter Tayleen had joined them, and Cance, Crown's son, and then more and more children of the forest had come.  
  
Serenity once told Harry that Crawx hadn't wanted to include him in their society for fear that Harry might disrupt the peace of the forest animals. But Harry's presence seemed to do the contrary. All the animals' young ones were now friends with Harry and with each other.  
  
In the beginning, the parents were frantic with worry and running around the forest each evening trying to collect their respective children for the night. After a few weeks, they had simply given up.  
  
Whoever caught sight of some young animals in the evenings was to take them in for the night, no matter if they were their own or not. Young wolves and stags sleeping in an extended rabbit's hole soon became a common sight in the forest.  
  
Had a muggle entered the forest and told everyone of the strange behaviour of the forest animals, or maybe even of the human child living in there, people would have shipped him off to the next mental hospital.  
  
Had a wizard entered the forest and told everyone of the strange behaviour of the forest animals, or maybe even of the human child living there, people would have told him that there was no way non-magical animals would act like this and would have shipped him off to St. Mungo's insanity ward.  
  
But no human, aside from Harry of course, ever entered the forest and disturbed the animals living in it. No one, that is to say, until three months later. It was now the end of January, the middle of a thankfully mild winter. Harry had adjusted wonderfully to the life in the forest and for the first time in years had found true friends and happiness. He was unaware that only a few hours later his entire world would collapse around him again, and he would be forced to run from those of his own kind. At the moment, Harry was fast asleep, but not for long.  
  
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*Harry! Wake up!*  
  
Harry groaned unwillingly and turned over.  
  
Someone nudged him.  
  
*Harry! You said you would come and play 'tag' with us!*  
  
Harry groaned again and burrowed himself deeper into the soft grass that was his bed in the unicorn's den.  
  
*Harry!!* Someone nudged him again and then began to lick his face. That woke Harry up.  
  
*Pegasus! Stop that immediately!*  
  
Pegasus ran away, giggling happily (if unicorns could giggle), and Harry sat up grumbling. Pegasus was one of his unicorn friends, about a year or so younger than Harry. That meant that while she had already turned silver (which happened with about two years), she didn't have a horn yet.  
  
Sighing to himself, Harry got up and quickly walked over to the starberry bushes. He got himself three of the juicy berries, then proceeded to quickly eat them. He smiled as he remembered what Serenity had told him. The starberries would only be there as long as the unicorns. When the last unicorn in the forest died or left, the starberries would go with them.  
  
*Harry! Are you coming or not?* Harry sighed and washed his sticky fingers in the nearby river.  
  
*Just a sec!* he yelled, then looked around for Serenity. He spotted her near the entrance of the den talking to some older unicorns and quickly ran over.  
  
*Serenity, me and Pegasus and Prince and Sammy and Sayama and Cance and Tayleen and the others are going into the forest to play, alright?*  
  
Serenity smiled amusedly at her 'cub'.  
  
*Of course, Harry. And it's Pegasus and me, not me and Pegasus.* Harry took off quickly.  
  
*Whatever!* he called over his shoulder to the chuckling unicorn adults.  
  
Harry met his friends on the edge of the clearing.  
  
~Ready to go?~ Prince asked. Harry nodded, and they took off.  
  
They played for almost four hours, moving farther and farther away from the unicorn's den. Harry didn't realize just how far until he suddenly heard a sound he hadn't heard in a few months. Voices. Human voices. And they were straight in front of him.  
  
Harry's first reflex was to run, but it was already too late. The two men came around the hill Harry had been hiding behind. Gasping in shock, Harry quickly pressed himself to a tree trunk, his little heart thumping so loudly that Harry thought the two men must hear it.  
  
"Do you have any idea why we have to do this now, in the middle of winter?" one of the men said, sounding annoyed. To Harry's absolute horror, he sat down on Harry's tree trunk and lit a cigarette. Harry whimpered quietly and tried to stay completely still so the men wouldn't hear him.  
  
"What was that?" the man with the cigarette asked suspiciously.  
  
"What are you talking about?" The other man, this one wearing a strange pair of brilliantly red trousers, said.  
  
"There was a noise! It sounded like- a whimper," Cigarette said, looking around.  
  
"You must have imagined it," said Red-trousers with a shrug, "or maybe it was the wind."  
  
Cigarette nodded, not quite convinced.  
  
"So, why do we have to do this in the middle of winter?"  
  
Red-trousers shrugged and leaned against a tree.  
  
"Don't ask me. Orders are orders. A pity, if you ask me. This is the biggest forest in this area."  
  
Harry frowned in confusion, not being able to understand what the men were talking about.  
  
Cigarette sighed.  
  
"They could at least wait until it is warmer." Red-trousers nodded, and the two of them were silent for a while. There was a spider crawling over Harry's hand. He wanted to shake it away, but couldn't.  
  
"Who do you reckon needs this much wood?" Cigarette asked, looking around in awe.  
  
Harry grew more puzzled by the minute. Wood? They wanted wood?  
  
"Dunno," Red-trousers answered with a shrug, "Don't ask me. I bet you there is some sort of corruption behind all this. I heard this forest is old, it has been around for centuries. Rightfully, nobody should be allowed to cut it down, and yet that's what we're supposed to do. But it's not our job to worry about law, we're just receiving orders. Well, we should get going. You know Warron said he wanted a full report by tonight so we can get started in a week."  
  
Cigarette nodded and got up. Harry held his breath as the two men walked back on the way they had come. Then, Harry slowly sat up, feeling numb.  
  
He couldn't believe what he had just heard. They were going to cut down the forest, his forest, within the week! Harry's mind couldn't even begin to understand all the implications.  
  
He jumped up and ran back into the forest. He didn't really know where he was going, blind panic making him oblivious to the branches snapping into his face and the alarmed shouts of the animals he passed.  
  
~Harry!~ The commanding voice, older and wiser than the others, finally served to make Harry stop his pointless flight. He turned to see Cassandra, the wisest of rabbits, sitting on the way in front of him. Harry had met Cassandra a few times and really liked her. He crouched down in front of his friend, barely able to suppress tears of confusion and shock.  
  
~Cassandra, I heard something so awful!~ he called and hugged the rabbit to him. Cassandra felt the small cub's need for comfort and allowed the trembling child a few minutes before she gently pulled back.  
  
~Harry, can you tell me what has upset you so?~ Harry wiped his eyes and shakily relayed the conversation he had overheard to Cassandra. The wise old rabbit sighed and bowed her head in defeat when Harry was done.  
  
~I feared that this might happen sometime,~ she said sadly, more to herself than to Harry. ~The humans cut down forests all over the country, and it was really only a matter of time until they would start on our forest. But I had hoped that it wouldn't be so soon..... I had hoped that we would have a few years-~ Cassandra shook her head.  
  
~Harry, I am going to call in a meeting of the forest council. You will have to tell them what you told me right now, alright?~  
  
Harry nodded, slightly nervous at talking in front of the most powerful animals of the forest. He watched with innocent fascination as Cassandra closed her eyes and seemingly concentrated deeply. He knew that she was contacting the other animal leaders via mind speech. Then, Cassandra motioned for Harry to follow her, and they took off toward the Old Oak at a slow pace. Cassandra, while she was still powerful and completely level- headed, was very old, and not the most healthy of animals.  
  
As it was, it took them almost twenty minutes to reach the Oak Clearing, and by the time they arrived Harry was practically bouncing with impatience. The other animal leaders had arrived long before them, and after giving Serenity a quick hug, Harry nervously stepped into the circle. He listened in awe as the Old Oak spoke the traditional opening words for the meeting:  
  
~Greetings to you, fellow leaders and kings. I hereby call the 1754th meeting of the forest council to order! Cassandra, wisest of the rabbits, please inform us why we are all assembled here.~  
  
Cassandra slowly came over to Harry's side.  
  
~Greetings, fellow leaders,~ she said, sounding more tired and old than Harry had ever heard her. Concerned, he petted her back a little. Cassandra smiled at him and nudged his hand gently, then turned back to the assembled (and now smiling) leaders.  
  
~I am afraid that we are not here for a joyous occasion. In fact, I don't recall a meeting in the history of the Forest Council concerning a matter so grave.~  
  
The smiles on the leaders' faces died down, and Harry, too, felt very sombre.  
  
~Yes, my fellow leaders. The worst has happened. The humans have entered our forest and are now seeking to destroy it- within the week.~  
  
Gasps were heard all around the clearing, and exclamations of outrage followed suit.  
  
~This is unbelievable! We can't let this happen!~  
  
~How can they destroy our forest! It is older than they are!~  
  
~Our ancestors have lived in this forest for decades and centuries, and now they want to make it go away?~  
  
~What about our children? This is their home!~  
  
~What about US? Where will we go?~  
  
~I always knew that the humans would only bring despair!~  
  
~Why don't we attack them?~  
  
~Yes, that's a good idea! That'll show them to mess with us-~  
  
~SILENCE!~  
  
The clearing was suddenly deathly still, and everyone watched in apprehension as the old oak shook with rage.  
  
~You are behaving like seedlings who lose their leaves for the first time in fall!~  
  
The animals looked down, feeling ashamed. Even Harry felt bad, even though he had not said anything. The old oak heaved a heavy sigh.  
  
~Cassandra, please continue.~  
  
The old rabbit sighed.  
  
~Now, of course we cannot attack the humans. As all of you very well know, they are far more powerful than we are.~  
  
~But there must be something we can do!~ Crawx interrupted angrily. Cassandra fixed him with a hard gaze.  
  
~No, Crawx,~ she said firmly. ~There is nothing. Harry, please tell the council what you have overheard.~  
  
Harry stepped forward nervously and quickly relied the two men's conversation. When he was done, Cassandra nodded grimly.  
  
~What we are going to have to do fills me with sadness and grief unlike anything I have experienced before. As some of you pointed out, this forest is our home, and it has been for countless generations. Our forefathers will be turning in their graves when they see the terrible things that will happen to their home – to our home, to the home of out children.~ she paused for a moment, trying to regain control over her emotions. Harry had no such luck. He ran towards Serenity and buried his face in the unicorn's soft mane. Serenity licked his cheek softly, but Harry could clearly see that she was trying very hard not to cry as well.  
  
~Now,~ Cassandra said roughly, ~the humans are going to destroy our home completely. Since there is nothing we can do, there is only one option left for us. We, or those of us strong enough, will have to find a new home.~  
  
The animals bowed their heads in sadness. Serenity, however, spoke up.  
  
~Finding a new home is easier said than done, Cassandra,~ she said quietly. ~Forests big enough to accommodate our number are very rare, especially when there are already animals in there. As sad as this makes me, we will need to split up. There is no way we will all find sanctuary in one forest, especially us unicorns. As you know, we can only live in forests completely untouched by humans. Where will we find another forest like that? Where will we find a forest magical and ancient enough to serve as our home?~  
  
Silence reigned the clearing for a while. Then, the old oak spoke up.  
  
~I understand your sorrow and worry, Serenity, leader of the unicorns. And your fear is reasonable. I feel that there are only two places on this island left with enough magic and purity necessary for the unicorns to live there.  
  
~One of those places is Stonehenge, a many centuries old monument built by wizards. It is full of raw and pure magic, but unfortunately almost constantly swarmed by muggles, making a peaceful life there absolutely impossible.  
  
~The second place, however, might be good enough. It is another forest, far more ancient and magical, but also more dangerous than this forest. Many beings live there, all of them magical. I know for sure that some unicorns live there as well. It is said that there is simply so much magic in the forest that non-magical beings could not survive there. There are other, darker animals in the forest, dangerous mostly to humans. I believe that it would be a suitable place for some of you to live.~  
  
Cassandra was nodding slowly.  
  
~Yes, I once heard legends about that forest. Serenity, you will have to lead your unicorns there.~  
  
Serenity's ears twitched nervously.  
  
~This is all nice and good. But how will I find the way?~  
  
~Forgive me for intruding, but I believe that I know a way,~ Rex spoke up. ~I have a cousin who once told me of a forest like that, near the forest where he lives. From your description, Wise Oak, it must be the same forest. He once told me the way to his den, in case I wanted to visit. If that is alright with all of you, I could lead my pack and Serenity's unicorns to my cousin's forest, and he could take them onwards to their destination.~  
  
Serenity contemplated this idea for a few moments, then nodded, slowly.  
  
~Thank you, Rex,~ she said softly. ~That seems like a good idea to me.~  
  
Cassandra nodded, satisfied.  
  
~Good. Now that this is settled, where will the rest of you go? Arya?~  
  
The fox queen paced for a little while.  
  
~I have a sister, living quite far away. I think, it's not too far away from your cousin, Rex, so we might still be able to visit. Yes, I think I will take my group and family there.~ Cassandra nodded.  
  
~Dandelion?~  
  
The squirrel hopped forward.  
  
~Actually, I think we will just move on to the next forests. Squirrels aren't very selective, you know. And I am sure the other squirrels will welcome us.~  
  
Cassandra moved on.  
  
~Nocturn?~  
  
The owl ruffled its wings importantly.  
  
~My wife's best friend lives in a forest not too far from here. It is nowhere near a city, very quiet area. I've heard that there are lots of rats and mice around to be caught-~  
  
~Thank you, Nocturn,~ Cassandra interrupted quickly. ~What about you, Crown?~  
  
The stag looked thoughtful.  
  
~I don't really have anywhere to go. Rex, do you think it might be acceptable if we came with you to your cousin's forest?~  
  
Rex looked thoughtful as well.  
  
~I think that can be arranged, Crown. From what I have heard, it is a rather big forest.~  
  
Cassandra nodded happily.  
  
~Crawx?~  
  
The crow shook its head.  
  
~Never mind us crows and ravens,~ he told the rabbit. ~We will find a solution living in a nearby forest, or maybe even in town. Us birds aren't bound to forests.~  
  
Cassandra nodded.  
  
~Trillidge?~  
  
The blackbird, speaker of the smaller birds of the forest, fluttered down from a low-hanging branch.  
  
~What Crawx said, goes for us, too. Those of us who need a forest to live in will find sanctuary in the remaining forests in the area. The others can live in the humans' gardens, if need be.~  
  
Cassandra smiled and nodded.  
  
~Slyther?~  
  
The snake slithered into the clearing.  
  
~We will wander into the nexxxt foressssst together with Dandelion and his ssssquirrelssss. The ssssnakesssss there are on friendly termsssss with usssss and will accccept usssssss.~  
  
Cassandra nodded again.  
  
~The rabbits will go to my younger brother's forest not too far from here, under the lead of my oldest daughter.~  
  
Harry's head snapped up.  
  
~But Cassandra!~ he exclaimed, forgetting that he was technically not allowed to just speak in front of the Council, as he was too young and not a leader. ~What about you? Aren't you coming with us?~  
  
Then, he quickly clapped his hands in front of his mouth and looked around with wide eyes, but nobody had the heart to reprimand him. Cassandra smiled softly, and sadly, at Harry.  
  
~No, my little Unicorn Child,~ she said quietly, using the nickname Harry had gained from the animals in his three-months stay. ~I will stay here. No, don't interrupt me! And don't try to convince me otherwise. I have made my decision.~  
  
~But- but that means that you are going to die!~ Harry exclaimed, again not able to stop his tears. Cassandra sighed and brushed them away with a soft paw.  
  
~Don't cry, Harry! Yes, I am going to die, together with this forest. Child, I have been around for many years, more than you can imagine. I am old, Harry, too old to be moving around now. This forest is my home, my existence. I belong to it, just as the old oak does. We will remain here, and wait for our time to come. And when it finally does, we will accept it. We have both lived a long and good life, and we are not afraid to die. But you, Harry, and your friends, you are young. Too young to die. And that is why you must go, and we must stay here.~  
  
Harry choked on his tears and slung his arms around the old rabbit. He didn't, couldn't understand what she was telling him, but what he did know was that he would never see her again, and that knowledge hurt. Not much time later, Serenity nudged Harry gently in the shoulder.  
  
~Come on, Harry,~ she whispered. ~We need to tell the others of the council's decision.~  
  
Harry nodded and sniffed as he wiped his eyes. He whispered a final goodbye to Cassandra, then hoisted himself up onto Serenity's back, and off they were.  
  
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It was a sad group of friends that had assembled this evening. Harry, Sammy the squirrel, Prince the wolf, Sayama the crow, Tayleen the fox, Cance the stag, Pegasus, Harry's unicorn friend, and many others had come.  
  
~This sucks.~ Tayleen said angrily, kicking a pebble across the clearing with a front paw. ~Stupid humans. They always have to destroy everything.~  
  
Harry ducked his head, feeling ashamed for being one of Tayleen's humans. Tayleen noticed that.  
  
~Oh Harry! I'm sorry. I wasn't talking about you. You aren't even really human, right? You're one of us now!~  
  
The others nodded in agreement. Harry smiled and hugged Tayleen.  
  
~Thank you, Tay,~ he said softly, ~That really means a lot to me.~  
  
~Well, at least Tay, Harry, Cance, Pegasus and I will stay close together,~ Prince remarked sadly. ~We will be able to visit each other.~  
  
The young animals (and human) were silent for a while, each trying to think of something to say to lighten the mood, and each failing miserably. Their group of friends was being torn apart, and there was nothing they could do.  
  
~Oh really! This is so stupid!~ Cance exclaimed suddenly, jumping to his feet angrily. The others just looked at him.  
  
~I mean, why are we all so sad! True, they're separating us now, and it's unfair. But it doesn't have to be forever!~  
  
~Cance, what are you talking about?~ Sammy wanted to know.  
  
~It's simple!~ the young stag exclaimed. ~We'll just have to meet again when we are older! Sayama! You can fly. Let's say, in- five winters from now on, in the middle of the fifth winter, you and some of your bird friends contact all of us here and we'll meet! Do you think that you'll be able to find us?~  
  
~I think so,~ Sayama said, excited at the prospect. ~Cance, that is brilliant! Alright, in five years, we'll all meet again.~  
  
The animals nodded in determination.  
  
~Let's make some kind of pact!~ Pegasus said excitedly.  
  
~But how?~ Harry wanted to know.  
  
~Simple,~ Pegasus declared. ~I need a drop of blood from each of you, then I'll seal the pact with the magic in my horn.~  
  
The others liked the idea, and soon, Tayleen discovered a rather sharp stone. Harry gulped when it was his turn, but he didn't want to look like a coward, and he really wanted to be part of the pact, so he shut his eyes tightly and made a little cut on his finger. He quickly let a drop of blood fall onto the leaf that already had drops of the others' blood on it, and then stuck his finger into his mouth, trying to make it stop burning so badly.  
  
When everyone had added their blood, Pegasus approached the leaf. She leaned down and gently touched her horn to the leaf. It glowed a brilliant, white colour briefly, and when Harry could see it again, the blood was gone. And the leaf had changed greatly.  
  
Harry stared in awe at the now purely silver coloured leaf. Fine, golden lines marred its surface. It was one of the most beautiful things Harry had ever seen, it looked like a terribly expensive piece of jewellery.  
  
~Well,~ Pegasus said matter-of-factly, ~One of you needs to take the leaf.~  
  
~What?~  
  
Pegasus sighed in exasperation.  
  
~Listen,~ she said patiently, ~This leaf is now the symbol of our pact. Written in blood, and sealed with magic. One of us needs to take the leaf with them. In five years, when our meeting is due, we will all feel the presence of the leaf and will all be reminded of the pact. I can't take the leaf as I was the one who sealed it with magic. That means that one of you will have to.~  
  
The others nodded.  
  
~Harry, why don't you take it?~ Tayleen suggested. Harry jumped.  
  
~Me?~  
  
~Yes, you, Harry~ Prince said with a smile. ~It's the perfect solution. You can fasten the leaf to a cord or something and put it around your neck. It will be hidden and safe beneath your clothes.~  
  
Harry wanted to protest, he felt a little scared by the trust his friends had in him, after all the Dursleys had never trusted him with an important task. But his other friends seemed to like the idea and were soon practically begging Harry to take the leaf. Harry felt intimidated, but happy none the less.  
  
~I'll take it,~ he promised softly. Pegasus smiled happily.  
  
~Great! Now let me find something to- ah! That will do!~ Pegasus plucked a rather frozen- and dry-looking blade of grass from the ground with her mouth, and in seconds it had morphed into a beautiful, thin, silver chain.  
  
She handed- well, mouthed- the chain to Harry, who took it carefully. Gently, Harry put the stem of the leaf onto the thin chain, closed his little fist around it and willed the leaf with all his mind to attach itself to the chain. He scrunched up his face in concentration, blocking out all other sounds around him- and then felt a tingling sensation in his hand that told him that the magic had worked. Harry smiled in pure delight. Over the past three months with the unicorns, Harry had started to consciously use his magic for little tasks such as this one.  
  
Harry put the chain around his neck and hid the beautiful leaf beneath his shirt.  
  
~Amazing, Harry! Since when have you been able to-~ Sammy was interrupted by a soft voice behind them.  
  
~Children, it is time. Say your goodbyes, and then go to your homes as quickly as possible. Your parents are all waiting for you.~  
  
Rex watched with a heavy heart and terrible sadness as most of the young ones started to cry at his words. It broke his heart to rip this close group of friends apart, but it could not be helped. He turned away quickly, wanting to give them a little privacy.  
  
~Well,~ Tayleen said sadly, ~I suppose that's it. At- at least we know that we'll meet again-~ Harry sniffed and brushed his tears away.  
  
~Goodbye Sayama, Sammy,~ he whispered to the two that were sitting next to him. ~I'll miss you, you know?~  
  
Sayama nipped Harry's finger gently.  
  
~As will I, Harry,~ she whispered. Harry stroked her soft plumage, then Sayama fluttered away to say goodbye to Cance.  
  
~Goodbye, Harry,~ Sammy whispered tearfully, ~I'll never forget how you saved my life. I can't wait to see you again, alright?~  
  
Harry nodded and shook Sammy's tiny paw.  
  
~Bye-bye, Sammy,~ he called sadly after the little squirrel. Then, he went to say goodbye to his other friends- apart from Tayleen, Prince, and Cance of course, who would be travelling with the unicorns for a long while.  
  
Not much later, the four of them, and Pegasus, were the only ones left in the clearing. They looked at each other.  
  
~Let's go then,~ Prince suggested finally. Harry, Pegasus, Tayleen and Cance nodded in agreement, and the five friends parted ways for the night.  
  
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Serenity had not asked many questions when Harry had returned to the den late that night, she had simply motioned for Harry to lie down next to her, as he always did, and allowed him to cry as long as he wanted to, while nuzzling his face and whispering comforting words into Harry's ear.  
  
Harry had fallen asleep quickly, physically and emotionally drained from the day.  
  
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*Harry!* Harry moaned and turned over.  
  
*Harry! You need to wake up! We are leaving in a minute!* Harry breathed in deeply and yawned. He rubbed his eyes with his fists and blinked. It was still dark.  
  
*Serenity?* Harry asked confusedly.  
  
*Yes, child?* she answered soothingly. Harry looked around for a while longer, but could hardly see his own hand in front of his face.  
  
*Why are we leaving so early?*  
  
*So the humans won't see us.*  
  
*I thought they couldn't see a unicorn's horn,* Harry mumbled sleepily.  
  
Serenity smiled in the darkness, though Harry could not see it.  
  
*Of course they can't, silly,* she told her surrogate son affectionately, *but they will still be suspicious when they spot a large group of horses, stags, wolfs and foxes moving around together, don't you think?*  
  
*Oh.* Harry yawned again, and slowly stumbled to his feet.  
  
*Hold onto my mane, Harry, I will guide you to the starberry bushes.* Harry nodded and allowed the unicorn leader to show him the way. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but knew that he maybe wouldn't get a decent meal in a few days while they were travelling. So, he ate four starberries instead of his usual three.  
  
Then, Serenity told him and the others that it was time to leave. Harry climbed onto her back and allowed himself to slowly be carried out of the den that had become his home. Just as they were about to step through the curtain of ivy separating the magical valley from the rest of the forest, the moon broke through the clouds above, casting his gentle light over the unicorns. Harry turned to look at the valley one last time. And jumped slightly.  
  
*Serenity, look! The starberry bushes!* Serenity turned back. Indeed, as they were watching, the beautiful, red star-shaped berries Harry loved so much were starting to turn brown, then black, and then fall down. The leaves wilted, the branches dropped, the trunk was showing first signs of decay.  
  
*When the last unicorns in this forest die or leave, the starberries will go with them,* Serenity whispered sadly. *The legend was true after all. Let's go, my little unicorn child, there is nothing left for us here.*  
  
On the clearing in front of the Unicorn's den, many animals were waiting for them: Wolfs, stags and foxes.  
  
~Ready to go?~ Rex, Arya and Crown had appeared in front of them. Serenity nodded.  
  
~Very well, then,~ Rex said quietly, ~Let's go North and see where this journey takes us.~  
  
Had some of the muggles of Little Whining, Surrey, looked out of their windows that night, they might have seen something that would have made them doubt their sanity: A procession of all kinds of animals, horses, stags, wolfs and foxes, who seemed to be conversing with each other and following a set path only they could see.  
  
But the muggles were sleeping soundly in their beds, and the huge track of animal footprints, coming out of the forest and leading into the middle of a corn field, where they suddenly, apparently magically, disappeared, would forever remain a dark mystery in Little Whining's otherwise uneventful history.  
  
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A/N: There! Longest chapter yet. Please review, and thanks to all the people who reviewed last time!  
  
See ya!  
  
Felinity 


	6. New Home

Unicorn Child  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other character from the series! They belong to JK Rowling. I do, however, own the forest animals and the plot!!! And I own the term and phenomenon 'Magification'!  
  
~*~  
  
IMPORTANT: As I take so long with updating, I have decided to give you a chance to "monitor" the progress of my stories. My Bio will from now on contain a section ("Recent Developments") where I state which story I'm currently writing on, how long the new chapter is and what it's called! I'll make sure that the Bio is always updated with relative regularity. Just so you know I have NOT decided to give up on my stories, and that I have not vanished off the face of earth!!!  
  
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Since it's been so long, here's a little SUMMARY:  
  
THE CHARACTERS:  
  
HARRY, Harry. ^_^ Right now he's four years old.  
  
SERENITY, Harry's unicorn mother  
  
STARDUST, Serenity's grown up son  
  
REX, the king of wolves  
  
PRINCE, his son, and Harry's best friend  
  
ARYA, the queen of foxes  
  
TAYLEEN, her daughter, also Harry's best friend  
  
CROWN, the king of deer  
  
CANCE, his son, one of Harry's friends  
  
PEGASUS, one of Harry's unicorn friends, about a year younger than him  
  
THE STORY SO FAR:  
  
Prologue: In which Voldemort attacks the Potters on October 31st, 1981. He manages to kill Lily and James, but Lily hides Harry from Voldemort, who has to leave without killing him. Unbeknownst to Voldemort, Lily casts an ancient protection spell on Harry before she dies, based on her love for her son. Harry is taken to the Dursleys, against the will of Remus Lupin (who tries to get custody of Harry but is refused because of his lycanthropy) and many of Harry's parents' other friends.  
  
Chapter One: In which Harry is four years old. We get to know a little of his miserable life at the Dursleys', which has resulted in Harry not trusting humans anymore and being very quiet. Harry has taught himself how to read and write. On October 31st, exactly three years after Harry's parents were killed, Voldemort attacks again, murdering the Dursleys in front of Harry and trying to kill Harry himself. But the spell Lily cast takes effect and the killing curse rebounds onto Voldemort, who is killed immediately. The house collapses, burying the Dursleys' bodies beneath the debris. Harry, who has learnt from Voldemort that he is supposed to be a wizard, manages to escape from the house and, scared to death, flees into the nearby forest.  
  
Chapter Two: In which the animal leaders of Little Whining's forest come together in a forest council, trying to decide what to do about Harry, the human child who has rid the world from evil and entered the forest a few hours before. Serenity, the unicorn leader, leaves the meeting in a rage, and on her way home finds Harry crying in a clearing. She takes Harry with her to the forest council and is given permission to keep him, agreeing to teach her new charge the ways and language of the forest. Meanwhile, the wizarding world is searching in vain for little Harry, and a week after Voldemort's defeat, Harry, the Boy-Who-Defeated-Voldemort-And- Then-Disappeared, is pronounced dead, against the will of Dumbledore, the Hogwarts staff and Remus Lupin.  
  
Chapter Three: In which Harry is taken to the group of unicorns living in the forest. Serenity uses an ancient unicorn ritual to bind Harry to herself as her son, thereby exchanging memories with him. Harry slowly adapts to life with the unicorns and starts learning their language. On a walk through the forest, he encounters the old oak, the oldest and wisest being in the forest, who seems to like Harry. Rex, the wolf king, talks to the oak and convinces it to grant Harry a wish, a very rare occurrence. As Harry can't talk to the oak, Rex wishes for Harry to be able to speak the language of the forest. The oak agrees, and so Harry is now able to communicate with the other animals.  
  
Chapter Four: Harry saves a young squirrel's life, thereby winning over the hearts of all forest animals. He is taught the ways of the forest by Serenity and several other leaders. About three months after his arrival, Harry overhears two men entering the forest who are talking about having orders to cut it down. Harry informs the animals, and it is decided that they have to split up and leave their home to find other forests to live in. The unicorns, wolves, deer and foxes are going to forests in the same area (somewhere in Scotland) and so decide to travel together. Harry and his friends make a pact, agreeing to meet again five years later.  
  
Hope that helps! ^_^  
  
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"bla bla" = human language  
  
*bla bla* = unicorn language  
  
~bla bla~ = language of all forest animals  
  
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This chapter is dedicated to BookMaster3000 (a.k.a. ER, who's my most faithful reviewer – at least I hope he still is after all this time, and helped me over my writer's block!), Rachel A. Prongs (go read her stories!, who's also reviewed about a thousand times ^_^), allison (Thanks for all the reviews!), TimGold (Thanks for the reviews and Latin dictionary! ^_^) and Nymoue (merci, mon amie!)!!!  
  
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Chapter 5  
  
The New Home  
  
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The weeks following their departure from Surrey's oldest forest had been hard- hard, strenuous and frustrating for all animals, but none as much as Harry.  
  
As a human, he was naturally ill-adapted to life in the wilderness, and the long days of walking with little to no food were taking their toll on him. It did not help that the temperature had dropped way below zero, which meant that Harry was in constant danger of freezing to death. What had been a mercifully mild winter before, was turning out to be one of the hardest, most unforgiving cold periods Britain had ever seen.  
  
In the beginning, Harry and his friends had been fairly optimistic about their journey. It had been warm, there was enough food for everyone, and the young ones kept everyone's spirits up with their games.  
  
Harry had had fun, he and the other little ones loved moving about. It meant meeting new animals every day, seeing the world, making friends, having adventures. The food was different as well; and while Harry had loved the Starberries very much, he was in awe with all of the 'foreign' food he got.  
  
Three days after their departure there had been the first casualty.  
  
Faery, a young, careless fox Harry had played with a few times, had not payed attention during one of their games and run onto a human road without watching out for cars. She had looked over her shoulder, laughing as she was being chased by Prince.  
  
Harry had seen the danger first and called,  
  
"Watch out!"  
  
Faery had frozen on the spot and stared at the car in terror, and it had been too late. The driver of the car had tried to brake and almost slithered off the road, but Faery had been too terrified to move. The car had hit her with a sickening thud, and Faery's slight body had been flung to the side of the road, where she had lain, unmoving.  
  
The young animals had been frozen in horror and disbelief while their parents had run to Faery's side.  
  
The young ones (including Harry) had never been allowed to see her body, but Prince and Tayleen had vomited violently, claiming that they had been able to smell the blood even from the long distance.  
  
Faery had been taken to a nearby tree and with much effort on the animals' part, had been buried beneath it. A single leaf, turned to silver by Pegasus, had been placed on the grave, to symbolise the young forest animals' pact of friendship, of which Faery couldn't be a part anymore.  
  
All the young ones had secretly let a drop of their blood hit the silver leaf during the following night when the adults had been asleep, and Harry had used his magic to freeze the leaf permanently upon the grave. Nobody would ever be able to take it away.  
  
The next morning, they had moved on.  
  
But it wasn't the same.  
  
All the fun was gone. None of the young ones felt like playing anymore, depressed by the sudden, unexpected death of one of their own. The laughter that had accompanied the group of animals subsided, conversations ceased, smiles died on their faces.  
  
The depression that had been kept at bay by the youngsters seized the group fully, making the adults moody and irritable, and the children aggressive and dejected.  
  
Fights broke out over every silly little thing, friendships were damaged almost irreparably.  
  
Harry's only comfort was Serenity, who was not as affected by the depression as the others. She listened to Harry when he needed to talk, allowed him to ride whenever he felt that his feet couldn't carry him any longer, and let him cry at night when the strain or stress became too much. She was truly a mother to Harry.  
  
About a week after they had been forced to leave their home, the cold broke in. It was over night that the temperature dropped, taking everyone by surprise. Harry woke up at about four o'clock in the morning because his teeth were chattering and he couldn't move or feel his feet. Panicked, Harry had woken Serenity, who had eyed Harry's slightly blue feet with concern. A touch from her horn had warmed them up enough for Harry to get some feeling back, but Harry could feel Serenity's worried gaze even through the darkness.  
  
The next morning, Serenity had made him some more clothes from plants, this time including some shoes. They looked funny, but they helped to keep Harry a bit warmer. It was nowhere near as warm as the animals' winter fur, but it would have to do.  
  
However, after only about two days of terrible coldness, Harry found himself losing hope and drifting off more and more often. He started to doubt that the forest the old oak had talked about really did exist, and he sincerely didn't believe in his own ability to make it that far. Serenity, Rex, Arya, Crown and their children were constantly at Harry's side, encouraging him when he felt like giving up and just staying there lying in the snow, trying to warm him a little when the cold became too much for Harry to bear.  
  
They continued like this for a week. Two old stags, another young fox and one of the unicorn's elders had perished on the way, died from the cold, hunger and exhaustion.  
  
Harry didn't feel much better. Serenity's warming spells which she sent to him through her horn helped somewhat, but Harry could tell that Serenity was weakening as well, and soon she couldn't even offer Harry that bit of relief. Neither could the other unicorns.  
  
It was during the third week of their journey that Harry broke down.  
  
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It was a gloomy day. Dark clouds obscured the sun, an icy wind chilled the animals and Harry to their bones.  
  
Harry had not eaten in two days, because everything they had been able to find was poisonous to humans. Harry's clothes were torn, he was thin, cold and frustrated.  
  
Being only four years old, he was not strong enough to withstand the constant pressure. He had learnt quickly not to cry, no matter how miserable he felt, because the tears froze on his face and made his skin turn numb.  
  
Serenity and most of the other elders had gone ahead to investigate the unknown territory. There was no forest in sight, nothing to hold off the biting wind that brought tears to Harry's eyes, whether he wanted to cry or not.  
  
Prince, Harry's wolf friend, and Tayleen, the fox queen's daughter, were walking on either side of Harry. Both of them were worried about their best friend. Harry was quiet, too quiet, and almost unresponsive. It took them ages to get his attention, and even then, he only gave short, one-worded answers.  
  
At about five o'clock in the afternoon, Tayleen and Prince noticed that Harry was starting to stumble more and more often, taking longer and longer to get up again. Worriedly, they recognised the signs the other animals who had died from the cold had shown.  
  
About half an hour later, Harry stumbled suddenly on a tree root protruding from the snow and fell hard onto his face. He lay there in a daze for a few moments.  
  
~Harry?~  
  
He heard a worried voice somewhere to his left. It sounded very far away.  
  
~Harry?~  
  
The voice said again, sounding even more worried. Harry wanted to smile at the voice. It needn't worry! He was fine. Better than he had been in days. The ground was nice and soft and so beautiful, and Harry was really really tired, and he wanted nothing more than to stay there forever.....  
  
A nice, warm feeling spread through Harry, and the world started to dim.  
  
The voices around him sounded frantic. Harry wanted to reassure them, but couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. When had his eyes closed? It didn't matter. He was nice and warm and comfortable.....  
  
Something shook Harry's arm. Harry frowned. Why were they disturbing him? He was fine, he wanted to sleep!  
  
The thing shaking his arm wouldn't stop. Harry grumbled angrily and swatted at it with his hand. It took tremendous effort to even raise the limb, it was just as tired as the rest of Harry.  
  
Ah, sleep.....  
  
~Cance,~ whispered Tayleen, making sure that Harry couldn't hear her. ~Cance, quick, go ahead and get Serenity. Harry's freezing to death!~  
  
Cance eyed Harry for a moment, terrified, then he took off at full speed. His hooves hit the snow hard, making it spatter high into the air. He had never run to quickly in his life, and never been so terrified. Faery had already died, Harry couldn't die as well! It was not fair!  
  
It took Cance about five minutes to reach the older animals.  
  
~Serenity,~ he panted, ~You have to come quickly! It's Harry, he won't get up- ~  
  
Serenity was off in a flash. As were Rex, Arya and Crown. Cance wanted to follow them, but his mother held him back gently.  
  
~Stay here, Cance,~ she said softly, ~I don't want you to get lost in the snow.~  
  
~But Harry.....!~ argued Cance urgently.  
  
~.....will be fine,~ Said his mother firmly, but not unkindly. ~Stay, Cance. The others will save Harry.~  
  
Cance nodded unhappily as he watched Harry's unicorn mother disappear in the distance, his own father, the fox queen and the wolf king in her wake.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
They weren't leaving him alone. Harry was crying by now, against his better judgement. He fought off his 'attackers' hysterically, not understanding why they couldn't just let him sleep.  
  
"Please," he whimpered, unconsciously switching to human speech. "Why can't you leave me alone?"  
  
Just then, thunderous hoof beat appeared in the distance. Harry whimpered and tried to bury his face in the snow to keep the noises at bay.  
  
"Please.....!" he whispered again, hardly aware of his surroundings anymore.  
  
Not much later, a soft muzzle touched the side of Harry's face. Unconsciously, he turned towards the affection and warmth, becoming slightly more aware.  
  
*Harry,* Serenity's voice said softly, *Get up.*  
  
Harry whimpered, unable to stop another flood of tears from streaming down his cheeks.  
  
*'m so tired, Mum,* he whispered. *Please lemme sleep.....*  
  
But Serenity kept licking at his face, the magic in her spittle coursing through Harry's veins and warming him a little. Suddenly, the strange warmth that had been there before disappeared, and Harry began to tremble violently. Two warm weights had settled at his sides, warming him as well. Serenity kept coaxing him gently and insistently..... until Harry was finally able to open his eyes again.  
  
Rex and Arya were snuggled up against him, eyeing him with worry; Serenity was standing above him, continuing to lick his hands.  
  
Harry began to cry in earnest then, flinging his arms around Serenity's neck. The unicorn queen sighed a little in relief and lay down next to Harry on the space Arya had vacated, lending him some of her body heat.  
  
It took a few minutes for Harry to calm down and get warm enough to climb onto Serenity's back. They didn't go much further that day.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
In the same night, the remaining unicorn elders took Harry aside and used their last magical reserves to teach him how to make fire with his magic. Harry learned quickly, and after only about an hour or so, Harry had created a large fire on the plain, much to the delight of all animals. Even better, that night, they finally found some food for Harry as well- some magical berries growing on very small plants on the ground.  
  
According to Rex, they were called Snap-berries, because their blossoms would snap at anyone who dared to touch them. They were very filling as well, much to Harry's relief.  
  
That night, Harry slept peacefully between Serenity and his best friend Prince, who had refused to leave Harry since..... the incident. Harry didn't quite understand what had happened to him, but what he did understand was that he had almost died that day, almost willingly given up his life. Harry shuddered in remembrance.  
  
Serenity raised her head tiredly and licked Harry's cheek once.  
  
*Go to sleep, Little One,* she said softly.  
  
Harry sighed as he snuggled up to his surrogate mother.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
The next day, the cold finally lessened a bit. The snow turned to brownish, icy mud, the wind was not as biting as before.  
  
The animals were relieved, though the clumps of ice and mud in their fur were annoying. Harry's new-found ability to make fire helped them a lot, once or twice Harry even had to clear a path for the animals in places where the snow was not yet gone.  
  
Having walked without break for almost three weeks, always protected from prying human eyes by the unicorns' magic, they had already left most of their way behind them and were now entering the Scottish highlands.  
  
The terrain was more difficult than ever.  
  
Plains turned to soft hills, and soft hills to mountains. More than once, they had to stop and go back quite a while to find another path through the mountain range, because the unicorns and deer simply could not go on.  
  
One day, they even passed the legendary Loch Ness. Harry thought it funny that Loch Ness wasn't really circular, as the name suggested, but really more oval-shaped and gigantic. While standing on one end, you couldn't see the other.  
  
Serenity amused Harry, her son Stardust and Harry's friend Pegasus with stories of muggles who had spotted the large Kelpie ("What's a Calpee?") living in the lake and mistaken it for one of their ancient myths, a giant sea snake. Harry thought he might even have caught a glimpse of 'Nessie' in the distance.  
  
The journey was exhausting for all of them, and when Rex announced that they would reach their destination- his cousin's forest- by the next day, nobody resisted the cheers and relieved sobs that bubbled up in their throats.  
  
Looking around, Harry could hardly believe that these were the same, healthy animals who had left Little Whining's forest not even a month ago.  
  
By now, they were all thin, exhausted, dirty. Their fur was matted and tangled, their eyes had dulled somewhat. Even Cance, who was quite hyperactive most of the time, just lay down in the evenings and fell asleep right away.  
  
Harry looked down on himself and sighed. He, too, had suffered from their journey. He was thinner than ever, and dirty. His skin was marred with little scratches and bruises, his clothes torn in too many places to count.  
  
*Don't worry,* said Serenity, having followed Harry's gaze. *We'll get you new clothes as soon as we arrive in our new forest. Maybe even much nicer ones than these.*  
  
She smiled mysteriously.  
  
*What do you mean?* asked Harry.  
  
*Have you ever heard of elves, little one?*  
  
Harry frowned.  
  
*You mean, those little guys who help Santa Clause deliver presents at Christmas?*  
  
Serenity threw her head back and laughed loudly, as good as unicorns could laugh. Harry felt a little offended.  
  
*Oh, Harry,* sighed Serenity, plopping down next to him. *What would I do without you. But no. Real elves, actually, look a lot like humans.*  
  
Harry stiffened immediately.  
  
*Don't worry, they are not human,* Serenity said hurriedly. *They just- resemble them. You will like them, I promise you.*  
  
*Does that mean that there are ELVES in the forest we're going? REAL elves?*  
  
Serenity whickered softly.  
  
*Of course, Harry, though the humans living in the area don't know.*  
  
Harry frowned again. There were humans living in the area. Well, Harry just hoped that they didn't come into the forest often.  
  
He didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts, however, as their short break was over and they got moving yet again.  
  
Harry sighed as he forced his tired legs to keep up with the animals' strides. They had rested for a short while in a small valley, but now that they had left their shelter, the icy gusts of the February wind hit them full force. They were very high up- having stepped up to the edge of a cliff once, Harry had been horrified by how small the trees down on the grounds had looked. They had been barely discernable.  
  
On these mountains, the snow hadn't begun to thaw yet, making Harry wish more than once that he had real shoes.  
  
It was only the knowledge that their destination was close that kept the animals and Harry going. Doggedly, they fought their way against the icy wind that brought tears to Harry's eyes. Harry did his best to keep his head down. He didn't like the feeling of tears freezing on his eyelashes or cheeks.  
  
Their path lead them up the steep mountain steadily. Harry wondered from time to time if Rex really knew where he was going, but the strong wolf king never once hesitated on his way.  
  
Still, as the wind grew more biting, the path worsened with every step they took, breathing became agony in the icy cold-  
  
~We've done it!~  
  
Harry jumped. Rex was howling to the skies in happiness, the animals in the front were running about in ecstasy. Hastily, Harry scrambled through the snow and to the edge of the cliff where Rex was standing.  
  
Only, when he looked down, he didn't see bare, rocky cliffs as he would have expected. Instead, the ground lowered relatively gently down into a green valley. The snow stopped about halfway down.  
  
The valley seemed to be bigger than the valleys they had been in before- Harry could see no end of it. The sides of the valley, on his right and left, were bordered by mountains, as far as his eyes could see.  
  
Could this be the valley that harboured their destination? Could this valley be so big that it could house not only one, but three forests? Arya's, Rex and Crown's, and the forest the unicorns were supposed to go? It seemed to be unbelievable.  
  
The way down the mountain took longer than Harry had expected. While the path was not too steep, the slippery ice and snow in the upper part and loose rocks and stones in the lower part made the descend slow and tedious. For once Harry was glad that he only had two legs and was much more agile than the unicorns.  
  
When they had finally reached the foot of the mountain it was already getting dark, so the elders decided to stay for the night. Harry was glad. He curled up in a tight ball next to Serenity and used her neck as a pillow.  
  
*Sleep well, Harry.* Serenity muttered tiredly.  
  
*You too, Mum.* whispered Harry back.  
  
However, he didn't close his eyes yet. Too much he had to think about had happened on his journey. He was both happy and sad that they would be reaching their destination soon. It would mean having a home again, a new forest to explore- and leaving his best friends behind. Harry knew that they would see each other again, but it was still not the same as living 'next door'.  
  
Shoving these thoughts from his mind, Harry admired the clear night sky. He could see thousands, millions of stars up there, even recognise the Milky Way. Harry smiled as he allowed the stars to Reflect in his eyes. Reflecting was a unicorn talent- they could Reflect anything they saw in front of them, thus making it impossible for their opponent to read anything in their eyes- or enabling them to warn friends who were facing them of any dangers approaching from behind.  
  
It was not a talent unicorns used often, but Harry loved it.  
  
The strenuous day began to catch up with Harry as he was gazing at the beautiful night sky, and he allowed himself to slip away into oblivion.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
The following morning dawned grey and cloudy, dampening both the animals' furs and spirits. They found plenty of food on groups of bushes growing along the way, which was a welcome relief to everyone. At noon, they paused between two forks of a small river.  
  
~The humans call it the 'Hog',~ said Rex. ~It grows much bigger later on. My cousin told me about it. This means that we are on the right way and will most probably be reaching our destination tonight.~  
  
~Tonight,~ said Harry, slightly awed.  
  
Rex gave him a quick, wolfish smile.  
  
~Yes, Unicorn Child, tonight. I expect Silverpaw- that is to say, my cousin- will be leading you and the other unicorns to the Ancient Forest tomorrow.~  
  
~The Ancient Forest?~ asked Prince with interest. ~Is that what the magical forest is called?~  
  
~That's what we animals have always called it.~ said Rex. ~The humans probably have a different name for it, they almost always do.~  
  
Harry frowned slightly.  
  
~Serenity mentioned humans living in the area before,~ he remembered. ~What are they like?~  
  
~Nothing like the Dursleys,~ said Rex, reading Harry's mind correctly. ~There's a human settlement near the forest, I believe, and a place where the elder humans teach their young ones. They are like you, Harry. Witches and Wizards.~  
  
That piece of information didn't reassure Harry in the slightest.  
  
~Voldemort was a wizard as well,~ he pointed out quietly.  
  
Rex sighed in defeat.  
  
~Not all wizards are bad, Harry. Not from what I've heard. And my cousin told me that the humans rarely ever enter the Ancient Forest, anyway. They are scared.~  
  
~Scared?~ asked Tayleen. ~Why'd they be scared?~  
  
Rex regarded the three young ones sternly.  
  
~The forest is dangerous,~ he said. ~It is one of the two most ancient magical places we know of. According to my cousin, the magic in this forest is so strong that non-magical beings, like we wolves, foxes and deer, cannot even enter it. It is the magic that makes the forest so dangerous. You will need to be cautious, Harry. Always stay close to Serenity and the other unicorns, then you should be fine.~  
  
~Will I still be seeing you and the foxes after we've arrived at the Ancient Forest?~ asked Harry timidly.  
  
~Of course, Little One,~ said Serenity firmly, stepping up to the group. ~We'll make sure of that. Rex, it is time to go on.~  
  
And so they took off again and followed the river Hog. Like Rex had said it grew broader after some time, the current becoming rather dangerous. Harry's excitement mounted with every step he took, and as the sun vanished slowly behind the mountains and the sky turned a thousand different shades of pink and gold he could hardly contain himself any longer.  
  
Not ten minutes later, they turned a corner in the valley and stopped short. In front of them, just across a small patch of grass, lay the edge of a beautiful forest. Everybody stared at it silently for a few minutes. It was Rex and Crown's- and their groups'- new home.  
  
~It looks nice,~ whispered Prince, as though afraid to break the peace.  
  
Harry, Tayleen and Cance agreed silently.  
  
They stood like that for a while, some quiet, some whispering to each other.  
  
They were shaken out of their reverie by a loud voice calling, ~Hey, you there! Who are you?~  
  
A young raven fluttered down on to the ground in front of them.  
  
~Good evening,~ said Rex kindly. ~We are looking for my cousin, Silverpaw, the king of wolves in this forest. Could you find him for us, please? And, if possible, the leader of the deer as well.~  
  
The young raven eyed them for a moment, then, without another word, took off into the forest. They waited silently, some shifting restlessly as it grew darker and darker with every passing minute.  
  
Finally, quiet, cracking sounds in the undergrowth alerted them to the arrival of the wolf and stag kings.  
  
~Silverpaw!~ called Rex happily, his tail wagging wildly.  
  
Silverpaw ran up to Rex and licked his muzzle briefly.  
  
~It is wonderful to see you again, Rex!~ he said with a wolfish grin. ~What brings you here, cousin? And you've brought friends, I see.~  
  
~Yes,~ said Rex. ~Can we go somewhere safer to talk?~  
  
Silverpaw looked at his cousin quizzically, but nodded.  
  
~Follow me.~  
  
The large animal procession attracted a lot of attention in the forest. Animals ran up to the way left and right, staring at the strangers, especially the unicorns and Harry. Whispers followed them as they were led into a large clearing, some curious, some condescending, some even downright malicious. Those who were regarding the unicorns, however, were in awe. Such beautiful, pure beings had never before entered their forest. And everybody was wondering about the human child sitting on a big female's back.  
  
Silverpaw stopped in the middle of the clearing and turned to face Rex.  
  
~Is this clearing satisfactory, cousin?~ There was no scorn in his voice, just sincerity and a certain bit of curiosity.  
  
~Thank you, Silverpaw,~ said Rex in as dignified a voice as he could manage. ~The reason for our presence concerns mostly you, Silverpaw, and the king of deer.~  
  
He bowed his head a little in the stag king's direction.  
  
~The other leaders might be interested as well, though.~  
  
~They have already been notified,~ said Silverpaw with a small smile, ~They are in attendance. Speak, Rex, King of the Wolves in Surrey Forest.~  
  
Silverpaw stepped back a little, leaving Rex alone I the middle of the clearing. If the wolf king was nervous he certainly didn't show it. Harry watched anxiously as Rex looked at each animal in turn.  
  
~As you may know,~ Rex started slowly, ~Surrey Forest was one of the three most magical places we knew of.~  
  
He ignored the agitated whispers that had broken out at his use of tenses.  
  
~As such, it was one of the only two places on this island where unicorns still existed. No human ever dared enter Surrey Forest. They felt the magic emanating from the very core of the forest, the Old Oak, and it kept them at bay.~  
  
Harry squirmed as hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to look at him.  
  
~Recently, however,~ continued Rex, his voice slightly raised, ~one of our own~ he indicated Harry ~has overheard two humans talking about cutting down Surrey Forest, as they have done with so many of our homes.~  
  
Angry murmurs surrounded the newcomers. Harry lowered his head, feeling ashamed of being human.  
  
~It was to be done within the week. Our Forest Council decided rightfully that we had no choice but to leave Surrey Forest and spread out over the remaining forests on this island. We, that is the wolves and deer, have come to seek shelter here with you.~  
  
~Granted,~ said Silverpaw. ~Where would we be today if we animals didn't stand together? Don't you agree, Cervus?~ he added to the stag king.  
  
Cervus inclined his head majestically.  
  
~I agree. The deer will be welcome to stay, as will the wolves. There is plenty of food and space for everyone.~  
  
~Thank you, Cervus, Silverpaw,~ said Crown. ~We appreciate this more than we can say.~  
  
After that, the conversation turned to trivial things and Surrey's animals began to mingle with their new Scottish neighbours.  
  
Harry stayed close to Serenity and his friends. He didn't like the way some of the foreign animals were eyeing him.  
  
~They are not on good terms with humans,~ explained Arya quietly. ~Unlike with Surrey Forest, the humans have no qualms about entering this forest. They sometimes kill animals, Harry. And since you're human, they don't trust you.~  
  
Night fell swiftly.  
  
The Surrey animals decided to spend the night in the clearing. Silverpaw had arranged for the unicorns and foxes to be led to their respective forests in the morning.  
  
Harry and his friends couldn't sleep for a long time that night. Their separation, the moment they had avoided thinking about for almost a month, was approaching inevitably and mercilessly.  
  
~We'll still be able to see each other,~ whispered Tayleen into the silence.  
  
~Yeah,~ said Prince, ~Your forest's only half an hour away, and Harry's only two hours. Silverpaw told me.~  
  
~We'll have to send messages to each other with birds,~ said Cance. ~Owls maybe. I heard they have enough magic in them to enter even the Ancient Forest.~  
  
~Owls are magical?~ asked Harry.  
  
~No,~ said Cance. ~They just have a high- resistance against magic. I heard that magical humans even use them as messengers on a regular basis.~  
  
~We'll do that, then,~ said Harry bravely.  
  
~Yes, we will,~ said Tayleen, also sounding close to crying.  
  
~Sleep, children,~ said Rex's voice from the left. .~You will see each other again soon enough, I can promise you that.~  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
They left the forest early in the morning.  
  
Harry had said 'goodbye' to all his friends during breakfast, promising to see them soon. Rex's parting had been the strangest.  
  
~Goodbye, Unicorn Child,~ he had said, ~Never forget what you have learnt from the forest even when you are with your kind. You are a wonderful cub, Harry, none of your knowledge should go to waste. Follow your heart, Little One. You will always be one of us.~  
  
This had greatly confused Harry, who had no intention of ever leaving the forest; but when he had asked Rex what he had meant, the wolf king had smiled and shaken his head, promising to see him soon.  
  
Their guide was an old wolf from Silverpaw's pack.  
  
~Try and memorise the way,~ he said. ~You might have to find it on your own one day.~  
  
They way was not too difficult to remember. They went in a straight line most of the time, following the river Hog. Later, they crossed a human path (road), avoided two human dens (villages)- and finally arrived in a small, rocky mountain area looking down upon the strangest village Harry had ever seen. The streets were crooked and cobbled, not tarred. They were dusty, but none of the garbage Harry had come to expect in human villages lay around.  
  
The houses bordering the streets were small, colourful and looked as though they couldn't possibly stay upright unless magic was used to hold them together. There were no two windows that looked the same, no two houses that were painted quite the same colour. Doors of all sizes led into the houses at seemingly random places- Harry could even see a door leading outside on the first floor. Harry wondered if it was ever used, and if yes, how the house owners managed to avoid broken legs.  
  
Another door Harry saw, a big, red one, seemed to lead into a small bush. Nobody could live there, could they? One house especially caught Harry's attention. It was situated a little away from the other houses, up a little hill. Its windows were boarded up, it looked as though nobody had even gone near it in ages.  
  
The next thing that drew Harry's attention were the shops bordering the most crooked street in the entire village- the main street, Harry guessed. His jaw dropped as he looked at all of the things in the shop windows.  
  
Some shops seemed to be selling really strange-looking broomsticks, some colourful robes- the kind Voldemort had worn, Harry realized with a shudder, only his had been black- some a gigantic assortment of owls, some impossible-looking sweets with names such as "Fizzing Whizbees- make you lift off the floor and fly for five minutes!" or "Blood Pops- for those of us with extravagant taste!", some were selling feathers and parchment- Harry wondered what the feathers were used for-, some weird, gruesome stuff Harry didn't even want to recognise. A shop named "Scratcher's Apothecary" was one of those.  
  
As it was still very early in the morning, there were no people in the streets, much to Harry's relief. The windows of the houses were still dark and snoring- yes, snoring.  
  
~This is a settlement the humans call 'Hogsmeade',~ said the guide. ~We're lucky that it is still early, the humans won't see us when we go through the village.~  
  
~Go through the village?~ asked Serenity, prancing around nervously. ~Isn't there a way around it?~  
  
~I'm afraid there isn't,~ said the guide. ~It would take us another three hours and we would still have to cross a plain near this settlement. We must hurry now. Stay close together and be as silent as possible.~  
  
Harry's heart raced as they walked quickly, quietly through the empty streets. He didn't want to meet any humans, and he didn't want to be seen. Sometimes Harry thought he saw movement behind one of the windows, but it always turned out to be just a cat or his imagination. Still, Harry and the unicorns heaved a sigh of relief when they had finally reached the edge of the village.  
  
A broad path led up the soft, green hills on their right. Harry followed it with his eyes- and felt his breath catch in his throat.  
  
There, at the end of the path, looming proudly and majestically in the distance, was a castle. The biggest and most beautiful castle Harry had ever seen. With its thousands of little- or big- towers, its countless windows, balconies and pinnacles, it looked as though it belonged into his fairytale book back at the Dursleys' house.  
  
The guide, who was standing next to Harry, had followed his awestruck gaze.  
  
~This is the castle Hogwarts,~ he explained quietly. ~It's where the magical humans teach their cubs.~  
  
Harry nodded, still in awe. This beautiful castle was a school? What Harry wouldn't give to be going there.....! But then he remembered that the school was just that, a school, full of mean children and menacing teachers. Full of humans. Harry quickly turned away from it and looked to the guide who was regarding him with wise, patient eyes.  
  
~Where are we going next?~ he asked, both wanting and not wanting the answer to be 'up this path'.  
  
The guide smiled, seemingly reading Harry's thoughts.  
  
~You, my young friend, and your fellow pack mates, will be following this path up to the castle. Then you will turn left and cross the castle grounds. The Ancient Forest begins at their edge. I, however, will return to my own forest now. The magic emanating from the castle and forest is too strong for me to bear. I am looking forward to seeing you again, Harry Potter.~  
  
And with that, and a few words exchanged with Serenity, the guide turned around and vanished soundlessly into the village of Hogsmeade.  
  
The group set off again, following the path leading up the hill, drawing nearer and nearer to Hogwarts.  
  
It took them almost fifteen minutes until they had finally reached it and Harry's legs hurt from the strain. He opened the large metal gate closing the grounds off from the outside and passed through it. He felt a slight ripple of magic course through him- definitely not evil, more protective, he decided- as he stepped through the gate. The unicorns followed silently, then Harry closed the heavy gate again with some effort.  
  
They crossed the grounds quickly, bypassing neatly-made gardens, greenhouses, a big lake and a small cabin. Nobody stopped them, much to Harry's relief, though there was a close call when a man- at least Harry assumed he was a man, even though he was almost twice as tall as a normal man- exited the forest ahead of them, staggering around a little and obviously very drunk, judging by the way he kept swinging a large wine bottle in his left hand and singing loudly and quite off-key.  
  
The man spotted the frozen-in-horror group and came to a staggering halt. He blinked once, twice, rubbing his eyes with his gigantic fists.  
  
"Shouldn'a ha' so much t'hic'to dring, righ', Fang?" he managed to say almost incoherently. "Seein' a bunch o' unni'hic'orns, brigh' ligh' an' all. 'ones'ly, I'm gonna turn in now, betta sleeb this off....."  
  
And he vanished into the small cabin they had just passed.  
  
Harry thought he would faint with relief, even though he felt a little bad for the big man who seemed to be doubting himself now.  
  
The rest of the way went off without a hitch. Harry swallowed as they had assembled right in front of the Ancient Forest. He was a little scared of this place. He could feel the magic, old, powerful magic, radiating from it. Now, in daylight, the forest didn't look too dangerous, but Harry had a feeling that wouldn't be the case at night.  
  
Magic, that much he had already grasped, did not distinguish good from bad. It was absolutely neutral. Magic could be used to heal, purify and soothe- or it could be used to kill, hurt and destroy. Magic had always been there, he felt. It was so old, so ancient- much more than even the old oak had been.  
  
Harry realized slowly that it wasn't that witches, wizards or magical creatures were born with 'new' magic- they just gained access to the never- ending magic pools that already existed. They had a small part of that ancient magic in themselves and used it to their every whim. Some did good, some did evil. Magic didn't know, didn't care. It was just there, ancient and powerful, determining those worthy of its possession. It didn't favour 'good' or 'evil', it was above such things.  
  
*Harry!*  
  
Harry jerked. Serenity was standing above him, looking close to panic. When had he fallen down to the floor, anyway?  
  
*We need to train him, and soon,* said one of the unicorn elders worriedly. *The magic in this place is connecting with Harry, knowing that he is worthy. Harry will be getting too powerful for his own health unless we manage to stop it by enabling Harry to gain full control over his powers. He is too young, but we have no choice.*  
  
*Too young?* Serenity asked worriedly, nudging Harry up with her muzzle. *Why?*  
  
*Magical humans are strange,* said another elder. *They are not born in symbiosis with magic, like we are- they need to adapt to it, be trained in it. I heard human foals don't start training their magic until they are at the very least ten years old. Before that, it is virtually impossible for their minds to control such a powerful force. They can do small things, like Harry here, who can magically light a fire, but their powers are largely uncontrolled.*  
  
*But what about Harry, then?* asked Pegasus, Harry's unicorn friend, worriedly.  
  
*He will have to learn,* said the first elder. *He is a strong boy, Pegasus, don't worry too much. I feel that the elves will be helping us as well.*  
  
With Serenity and Harry's combined efforts, Harry managed to get to his feet again, trembling quite violently.  
  
*What- what was that?* he asked with an effort.  
  
*That, Young One, was the magic of the Ancient Forest connecting with you.* said one of the elders.  
  
*Me?* asked Harry. *Why?*  
  
*The magic can feel that you carry part of it in you, yet that this part is in no way fully controlled or understood by you.,* explained the wise unicorn quietly. *So, it connects with you, filling you with more magic, trying to make you understand it. It sees in you a- vent, if you want to put it that way, a perfect place to deposit some of its excess energy. As you have not yet been trained in magic by humans and are too young to control it, the magic will continue to have its way with the wild magic inside you. It sees you, Harry, as an extension of itself. As long as you are not trained, at least a little, so that you can- unconsciously or consciously- block it, you are in danger of something we animals call 'magification'.*  
  
*Magification?* asked Harry, who was starting to feel a little better. *What does that mean?*  
  
He pulled himself up on to Serenity's back, holding on to her mane as she stood up.  
  
*You will be filled with more and more magic,* explained the elder patiently. *So much magic that your mind and body won't be able to take it. You will be ripped apart from the inside out. It's what makes it impossible for muggles to enter this forest- any non-magical beings, in fact.*  
  
*And what about you?* asked Harry. *Unicorns, I mean?*  
  
The elder smiled softly.  
  
*Unicorns, Little One, live in symbiosis with magic and nature. We are born with control over our magic. Magic in liquid form flows through our very veins, everything about us is magical. We ARE magic. One of its appearances. Like every magical creature.*  
  
*Wow,* whispered Harry. He suddenly felt very unworthy and shy again, as though he did not deserve to be in the presence of such wonderful beings.  
  
They started off into the forest. It was without a doubt the most magical, bizarre and yet beautiful forest Harry had ever seen in his life. In the outer region, it was relatively light; big spaces between the trees and daylight shining through the mostly bare tree tops allowing them to move quickly and quietly.  
  
The further they walked into the forest, the denser and taller the trees became. It grew darker and darker by the minute, the tree tops swallowing almost all of the light, even though they didn't have leaves yet. The undergrowth started to impede their progress more and more, seemingly snatching at their fur (or, in Harry's case, clothes) and refusing to release them.  
  
The trees, that much Harry could tell, were truly ancient. Some of them were so big that it would have taken ten people Harry's size to reach around the stem. The bark was thick and darkened by age and the weather's wear, occasionally peeling off in stripes larger than Harry himself.  
  
A particularly tall tree they saw had apparently been struck by lightning. Its stem had been hollowed out by some of the forest animals. In the hollow, the unicorns spotted two rabbits. The rabbits perked their ears as they heard the unicorns approach and fled into the forest. They ignored the unicorns' calls, changed into two tiny butterflies and vanished.  
  
Harry gaped at them.  
  
*How- how did they do that?* he asked.  
  
Serenity tossed her head sideways, the unicorn equivalent of a shrug.  
  
*Many species live in the Ancient Forest, Harry,* she said nervously, *some good, some bad. There are several kinds of shape-changers, though these two seem to have been harmless. I heard that some elf peoples train shape- changers to be their lookouts. Maybe those two were trained by the elven folk. If that is the case, we'll undoubtedly meet some of them soon.*  
  
They went on. Several times Harry could have sworn that he had seen movement in the bushes, but every time he looked, there was nothing. Harry couldn't help but feel that they were being watched. Judging by the younger unicorns' nervous prancing, Harry thought that they probably felt the same.  
  
They were crossing a small, rocky area. Their right and left sides were blocked by big boulders with moss growing all over them.  
  
Suddenly, there was loud rustling in the trees both in front of and behind them. The unicorns stopped in fright. Then, several tall and slender people dropped to the floor gracefully, armed with longbows and arrows. Harry and the young unicorns stumbled back in panic, trying to get as far away from these humans as possible.  
  
The older unicorns on the other hoof shushed them quickly and stood very still. One of the humans stepped forward, bow in his hand. Harry, who was in the front of the herd pressed tightly to Serenity's side, got a good look at him.  
  
It was a man, taller than any man Harry had ever seen before. His hair was light brown, as were his eyes, and quite long. The man was wearing clothes that were a lot like Harry's, only they seemed to be made partly of leather and were mostly obscured by a dark grey, shimmering cloak. A strange, unearthly light was glowing about the man's face, making it seem very pale and yet extremely beautiful, even though Harry could tell that on any other man his facial features would have been quite mediocre. It was something about his eyes, about the way he was holding himself, that made Harry want to avert his eyes from the beauty of the man.  
  
Harry had expected to be scared by the presence of a human being, but somehow, as he looked into his eyes, he couldn't feel threatened by this man and stepped a little away from his unicorn mother.  
  
This drew the man's attention to Harry.  
  
"A human!" he exclaimed. "A human in the Ancient Forest, and in the presence of unicorns no less! Unless- you are one of us?"  
  
Harry blinked.  
  
"One- of you?" It felt strange, talking in human tongue again after such a long time.  
  
"Elven folk," clarified the man.  
  
Harry's eyes widened and he stepped back in awe.  
  
"Apparently not," said the elf with some amusement.  
  
~To what do we owe the pleasure?~ he asked, turning to Serenity, whom he had obviously recognised as the leader. Serenity snorted a little nervously and tossed her head.  
  
~We come to you from Surrey Forest,~ she said. ~Recent - developments have forced us to leave the place we have called our home for many generations. We have come to seek shelter here in the Ancient Forest, which is, as you undoubtedly know, the only remaining forest on this island with enough magic to house unicorns.~  
  
~Or elves, for that matter,~ said the elf with a small smile, lowering his bow. ~The news you bring is frightening. Am I correct in assuming that Surrey Forest does no longer exist to give shelter to those of us seeking it?~  
  
~You are indeed correct.~ said Serenity quietly.  
  
The elf bowed his head.  
  
~Humans, I presume?~  
  
His eyes had darkened slightly.  
  
Serenity didn't answer and bowed her head as well. The elf sighed.  
  
~Very well,~ he said. ~I will take you to our leaders. They will notify the unicorns living in the Ancient Forest. All will be decided then.~  
  
They followed the group of elves deeper and deeper into the forest. The elf's name, Harry learned by listening to his and Serenity's conversation, was Ethryl. He and his group had been hunting for food when two of their lookouts, shape-changers, had alerted him to their presence.  
  
~The king and queen will decide whether or not you will be allowed to stay here in the forest. The elves are the regents of the Ancient Forest - not that the humans know of our existence.~  
  
He smiled.  
  
~They are quite blind when it comes to magic, even those well-versed in it. Two of them come into the forest quite frequently; one of them is Hagrid, a half-giant, and the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. The other is a human called Severus Snape, he is the resident Potions Master and likes to pick the ingredients for his potions himself. Neither of them ever venture too far into the forest, so there isn't much danger of being seen.~  
  
They had reached a large clearing. It wasn't really a clearing, but the trees were definitely sparser than before.  
  
~Wait here,~ said Ethryl. ~I will notify the king and queen.~  
  
Then he turned to look at Harry and smiled.  
  
~You may come with me, if you like.~  
  
Harry looked questioningly at Serenity. She nodded her head and nudged him softly with her muzzle.  
  
Harry smiled tentatively at Ethryl and took the elf's outstretched hand. He didn't know why he trusted this person he had only met a few minutes before, but somehow, he just couldn't be afraid of him. Something in Ethryl's face made Harry feel safe, protected even.  
  
"We elves live on trees," explained Ethryl as he led Harry away from the unicorns. "It is safer that way, even though there are hardly any enemies of ours in this forest. Our most deadly enemies were wyverns, but none have been spotted in this area in more than three centuries."  
  
"Wyverns," said Harry, feeling awed.  
  
The elf smiled at him briefly.  
  
"May I ask your name, Young One?"  
  
"Oh!" Harry smiled, he was forgetting his manners.  
  
"I'm Harry. Harry Potter."  
  
Ethryl stopped abruptly and stared down at Harry.  
  
"Menthyna!" he muttered, looking at Harry intently. "So you are alive!"  
  
Harry frowned in confusion.  
  
"Of course I'm alive! Why shouldn't I be?"  
  
The elf smiled at him for a second, then he took Harry's hand again and started to lead him further away from the others.  
  
"The humans believe that you are dead," he explained. "The magical humans were quite distraught about your death. They think that you died after your fight with Voldemort."  
  
Harry stopped short and backed away. He was suddenly feeling very, very scared again, and lonely.  
  
"How do you know," he whispered, back pressed against a tree. "How do you know about- about him?"  
  
The elf sighed and crouched down in front of Harry.  
  
"Everybody knows, Harry," he said quietly. "You are famous in the wizarding world, famous for somehow defeating the one who instilled fear in their hearts for fourteen years. Everybody, human or magical creature, was sad when you disappeared and were supposedly dead."  
  
Harry was shivering.  
  
"You have been living with Serenity and her herd the whole time, I presume?"  
  
Harry nodded slightly.  
  
"Why did you run away, Harry?"  
  
Harry did not know what possessed him at that moment. He had no intentions of ever telling anybody about the Dursleys, but somehow, as he looked into Ethryl's eyes, he found that he could not lie. He spilled the whole story, about the Dursleys' constant neglect, Dudley's cruelty, Voldemort's attack.  
  
In the end of the story, Ethryl was frowning deeply.  
  
"I will never fully understand humans," he said, more to himself than to Harry. "To the elves, a child is the most important and valuable thing in the world. Elves don't reproduce often, you see, because we are virtually immortal. We cannot die of old age or illness, though we are by no means invulnerable. For two elves to have a child is very rare, and the children are always protected by the whole folk. There is hardly ever more than one child at a time, and no elf would ever dream of neglecting something so precious."  
  
He shook his head again and smiled at Harry softly.  
  
"Come, Young One. There is someone I want you to meet. She is the first elven child to be born in the Ancient Forest in more than a century. She is a little older than you, two years I believe, but I think you will get along wonderfully."  
  
The elf leaned down and picked Harry up. Harry stiffened at first, having no recollection of ever being carried in such a – parental way. He decided that he liked it, however.  
  
Ethryl carried Harry over to a big tree at the border of the large clearing and made a gesture with his free hand. A shower of light, looking like thousands of tiny stars, cascaded down from the tree. Harry tried to touch the light, but his hand went right through it. Ethryl, on the other hand, merely chuckled and stepped onto the light cascade, using it as a staircase.  
  
Harry frowned and tried to grab the light again, but he couldn't seem to grasp it. Ethryl seemed highly amused. When Harry reached out for the third time, now in full pout-mode, he laughed outright and grabbed his hand.  
  
"Don't bother, Harry," he said. "This is elven magic. Nobody who doesn't have elven blood in their veins can use these staircases."  
  
"Oh," said Harry.  
  
They had reached the top of the 'staircase' and arrived in the tree top, more precisely, on a large platform. Harry leaned over its edge curiously. He hadn't realized they were that high up!  
  
But just as he tried to get a better look at the ground, a small hand grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back with all its might. Surprised, Harry turned around and found himself face to face with a little girl.  
  
She was wearing a dress made of leaves and moss, though er feet were bare. Her hair was as black as Harry's, and her eyes were strangely violet. Like Ethryl, she was very pale and shone with a strange, source-less light. Judging by her height, she had to be a few years older than Harry. Right now she had her hands on her hips and was wearing a slight frown on her face.  
  
"We're not allowed to look down," she said.  
  
Then she got a curious look on her face.  
  
"You don't Glow. You're not one of us, are you?"  
  
Harry shook his head slightly, biting his lip.  
  
"Are you- a human?"  
  
This was said in such a tone that Harry could have sworn the girl had never seen one before.  
  
Harry nodded cautiously.  
  
"Menthyna!" said the little girl, a strange light in her eyes.  
  
'Menthyna' again. Ethryl had said that as well, Harry remembered.  
  
"What does Menthyna mean?" he asked curiously.  
  
The girl giggled and sat down next to Harry.  
  
"Menthyna is our goddess," she explained imperiously. "We use her name to say many things, like- like- amazing, wonderful, goodness- you know?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Yes, I think so. Like 'cool', or 'wow'."  
  
The girl giggled again.  
  
"Cool? Like 'cold'?"  
  
Harry shrugged and nodded.  
  
"I don't get it either," he admitted. "But many humans use them that way."  
  
"Humans are strange." said the girl. Harry didn't even try to disagree.  
  
"Who are you, anyway?" asked the girl, again sounding slightly snobbish and regarding his torn and dirty clothes with a disgusted frown. Her gaze made Harry feel uncomfortable and ashamed.  
  
"I'm Harry," said Harry. "Harry Potter."  
  
The little girl obviously hadn't heard of him, which was fine with Harry. She nodded her head, as if to say that she had known all along.  
  
"I am Catheryna. (A/N: Kay-the(spoken voiceless)-rye-nah) But you may call me Cathey (A/N: Kay-thay(spoken voiceless)." She emphasized the 'I' in such a way that Harry assumed it was somehow a honour to meet her.  
  
He smiled a little shyly.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Cathey."  
  
Cathey nodded and looked at him expectantly, seemingly waiting for something. Harry didn't understand what she wanted and remained silent. After a few more moments of exceedingly uncomfortable silence, at least to Harry, Cathey's patience wore thin.  
  
"Well? Haven't you heard of me?"  
  
Harry shook his head, feeling intimidated.  
  
"You haven't heard of me? You haven't heard of Catheryna, the Elven Princess of the Ancient Forest?"  
  
"I'm sorry," whispered Harry.  
  
Cathey, apparently, was in shock. Harry felt very bad. He hadn't meant to hurt Cathey.  
  
"But- how couldn't you have heard of me?"  
  
Harry just shook his head, biting his lip.  
  
"You - you - how dare you! How dare you come here when you haven't heard of me?"  
  
Harry could feel tears in his eyes. He wanted to run away, but knew that it was impossible as he couldn't use the staircase that led to the ground. Catheryna regarded him contemptuously.  
  
"You are crying. Crying is for weaklings, you know? And you are a boy! You should be-"  
  
"CATHERYNA!"  
  
Both Harry and Cathey whirled around, Harry trying, without much success, to stop crying and wipe away all evidence of it.  
  
Three Elves had stepped out of the small house on the platform behind them. The one who had shouted was a female with long, wavy, golden hair and crystal clear blue eyes that were currently glaring daggers at the small girl next to Harry.  
  
"How DARE you say such things to our guest? What has Harry done to you?"  
  
"Mum, he- he hasn't heard of me!"  
  
"And is that any reason to insult him? Not everybody has heard of you Catheryna, most people don't even know of your existence!"  
  
Catheryna gave a horrified gasp. The queen sighed and rubbed her temples.  
  
"Go to your room, Catheryna. We will talk later."  
  
Meanwhile, Ethryl had stepped around mother and daughter and picked Harry up. Harry clung to him as if he were a lifeline, not quite sure why he trusted the Elf so much. He buried his head in the Elf's chest and tried to calm down.  
  
When he raised his head a few minutes later, the king and queen were standing in front of him and Ethryl and looking at him with slightly sad, but kind smiles.  
  
"We must apologise for our daughter," said the king, a black-haired, brown- eyed man even taller than Ethryl. "I'm afraid that she is a little spoiled. She is the first Elven child born in this forest in more than a hundred years, and a princess no less. Sadly, she is used to people fulfilling her every wish and whim without question."  
  
Harry stared at the king and queen. Why were they being so nice to him?  
  
"Such beautiful eyes," said the queen with a soft smile. "Such a beautiful little boy."  
  
Harry blushed and buried his face in Ethryl's shoulder again. The Elves laughed, a deep, melodious sound that somehow made Harry feel better.  
  
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," said the king. "I am Cerylys, the king of the Ancient Forest. And this is Mythriel, my wife, and the queen."  
  
Harry raised his head again and looked at the regents shyly.  
  
"I'm Harry," he said, "and it's nice to meet you."  
  
"And well-mannered!" exclaimed the queen with a smile. "Maybe you'll be a good influence on Cathey."  
  
"I'm sorry," said Harry, "but I don't think she wants me to be an influence."  
  
The Elves laughed again, and Harry wondered what was so amusing.  
  
"Don't worry," said the king, "We will be having a word with our daughter about what she said to you. She will apologise to you next time you see her."  
  
Harry nodded doubtfully, still not releasing his death grip on Ethryl's neck. It felt good to be held like this, Harry mused, as they made their way down the glittering staircase. Serenity, while she loved Harry very much, was not able to pick him up. It wasn't possible for her ant- ana- anotami- well, she didn't have arms.  
  
They reached the ground in no time, making Harry wonder whether the Elves had somehow used magic.  
  
He was feeling very sleepy all of a sudden and lay his head down on Ethryl's shoulder. He felt Serenity's horn touch his forehead gently, then he slipped into oblivion.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
It wasn't Aunt Petunia who woke him, nor was it Dudley stomping down the stairs above his head. It wasn't Serenity either, and it wasn't coldness, sharp wind or a bird's cry. It was the sunlight tickling his face, blinding him even through closed eyelids, warming his cold limbs and the air around him.  
  
Harry blinked rapidly as he opened his eyes, trying to get rid of the bright spots dancing in his vision. The ground was soft. Grass, Harry realized, as he felt it with his fingers. There wasn't a cloud to be seen in the blue sky, and even though the morning air was crisp and cool, the sun was burning down on him with an intensity Harry couldn't remember ever feeling before.  
  
He sat up slowly and looked in awe around the place. There was grass, grass, grass, as far as he could see. Only the occasional bush or tree interrupted the green mass. Butterflies and bumblebees, ladybirds and other small insects were flying carelessly from blossom to blossom, from plant to plant. Harry could even see a small river flowing in the distance.  
  
Harry scrunched up his face in confusion. It was February. Why did it look like spring in this strange place?  
  
*You are in the Eternal Meadows,* said a deep voice behind Harry.  
  
He whirled around. Behind him stood the oldest unicorn Harry had ever seen. It was so purely, blindingly white that Harry could hardly bear to look at it. Right now, it was smiling gently at Harry.  
  
*Nobody knows why, but there is always spring in the Eternal Meadows. You can run here forever, for as long as you want, and you will never reach the end of the meadows. When you want to return to this place, you just have to wish for it, then you'll immediately arrive back here.* said the unicorn, lying down next to Harry with some difficulty. *It is the magic in this place. We unicorns have inhabited the meadows for as long as we can think.*  
  
Harry stared at his wise companion.  
  
*Who are you?* he asked quietly, stroking the unicorn's silky mane reverently, just the way he knew unicorns liked.  
  
The old unicorn closed his eyes in pleasure.  
  
*I am Arnathan,* he said. *That means 'Old One' in the elven language. I am one of the eldest of the Ancient Forest's unicorns.*  
  
*Wow,* said Harry softly. *Where are Serenity and the others?*  
  
*Your unicorn mother?* the old one's mouth quirked into a slight smile. *She is with the elves again. You are allowed to stay, of course. The king and queen are warm-hearted. It seems that your herd and my herd will be united, and Serenity and Silion- he is the leader of the Ancient Forest unicorns- will be in a kind of joint-leadership.*  
  
*Oh,* said Harry.  
  
Arnathan opened his eyes again.  
  
*I must warn you, Harry,* said the old unicorn. *We, the old ones, don't mind your presence here in the forest. But Sarthon, who is Silion's son, and his group- all young, ambitious males- want to throw you out.*  
  
Harry paled. They were going to throw him out. They were going to send him back to the humans. They were going to make him leave. He was going to have to return to those who had only ever hurt him-  
  
*Relax,* said the wise unicorn, nudging Harry gently. *Serenity and the elves will never allow it. But again, I warn you. Stay away from Sarthon, Harry Potter, and stay close to Serenity or one of us at all times. Nobody will harm you here.*  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Months and years passed quickly for Harry and the unicorns in the Eternal Meadows. Food or cold were never an issue, much to Harry's relief.  
  
The Surrey unicorns had made fast friends with the animals of the Ancient Forest. It was not uncommon to see a unicorn trotting calmly next to a mammoth that would change into a fly the next second. Harry loved the shape- changers. They were highly amusing and good for intelligent conversation- IF you could get them to assume a form they were willing to talk in.  
  
Even more amusing, in Harry's opinion, were the centaurs. One of the youngest, Firenze, was actually very nice to Harry and spent many nights at the Eternal Meadows with him, explaining the stars and planets of the sky to his young student.  
  
The others, however, *never got their heads out of the sky*, as the Ancient Forest's unicorns said. The younger unicorns and Harry spent hours conversing with them, suppressing giggles at the riddles coming forth.  
  
It soon became habit that, when two forest animals were fighting, one of the young ones would look at the sky thoughtfully, saying ~Mars is bright tonight.~  
  
Harry still saw his friends Prince and Tayleen at least once every month, though their ways parted over the years. Prince and Tayleen grew up, found partners in their new homes and had children- while Harry found himself growing in the unbearably slow human way. He could not understand his friends' need for reproduction, even though he loved meeting with their cubs just as much as with Prince and Tayleen themselves.  
  
Harry made sure to heed Arnathan's advice, even after the latter's death one year after their arrival in the Ancient Forest. Harry had been extremely saddened by the loss, as he and Arnathan had grown quite close- almost like grandfather and grandson.  
  
Serenity had also found a new mate among the Ancient Forest's unicorns, a slightly older male by the name of 'Kieran'. Harry loved Kieran very much, even though he was more of a big brother to Harry than a father.  
  
At first, Harry had felt that Serenity was trying to get rid of him, but a few long and serious talks with his mum had quickly convinced him that this was not the case.  
  
Every night, from six to eight o'clock, Harry was trained by Ethryl and a few more elves in magic. Soon, he was no longer in danger of Magification, but as Harry loved the training so much and the elves were happy to have such an eager student, nobody ever tried to stop Harry's lessons.  
  
It came as a happy shock to everyone when Harry, aged six (and a half!), succeeded in a full Animagus transformation. Everybody was amused when he turned into a magnificent unicorn- a black unicorn.  
  
"Always one for surprises, eh, Harry?" Ethryl had said with a soft smile.  
  
Over the years, Harry did have a few run-ins with Sarthon and his group. The unicorn took every possible opportunity that presented itself to humiliate and ridicule Harry, never going as far as to hurt him, though. However, these encounters didn't harm Harry. Backed up by a family and friends he could fall back on, little Harry slowly recovered from the abuse the Dursleys had put him through and started to grow a backbone. The day when Harry first told Sarthon off in front of everyone would forever remain a happy memory in the minds of the Ancient Forest's animals.  
  
********************************FLASHBACK*******************************  
  
It was a fine day in July, one and a half years after Harry's arrival in the Ancient Forest. Harry and the younger unicorns were playing a unicorn game. As it involved jumping as far as you could, Harry, naturally, was at a huge disadvantage. He didn't mind losing, though, the game was fun anyway.  
  
*Your turn, Harry!* shouted Pegasus.  
  
Harry concentrated briefly, counted to ten loudly, and was off like a shot. He sped up more and more, running faster and faster- this one was going to be a good jump, he knew it-  
  
Something blocked his way. Harry gasped in shock and slithered to a halt, landing face-first in a puddle of mud left on the ground from the previous day's rain.  
  
Roaring laughter greeted him as he raised his head. Sarthon and his 'gang' of friends were standing in front of him. Harry didn't even understand why they were unicorns. Unicorns were supposed to be good, pure, not mean and rowdy-like like Sarthon.  
  
*Fell, Potter?* asked Sarthon with a unicorn sneer. *Let me help you up.*  
  
He sized Harry by his arm and pulled him to his feet roughly. The sharp pain of pointy teeth digging into his arm brought tears to little Harry's eyes and he cradled his arm protectively to his chest. Meanwhile, his friends had caught up to Harry and were glaring angrily at Sarthon. But as he was their leader's son, and a very cruel one at that, they couldn't say anything.  
  
*Aww, poor foal!* cried Sarthon, watching Harry in glee. *Should I be getting your mommy here to comfort you?*  
  
Harry bit his lip. Suddenly, he was feeling angry. Sarthon was always putting him down, always picking on him. What had he done, anyway?  
  
*I'm sick of you,* Harry said quietly.  
  
Suddenly, there was a dead silence. Nobody spoke that way to Sarthon, least of all a foal.  
  
*What did you say?* whispered Sarthon, for once in his life sounding stumped.  
  
Harry was shaking, but he glared at Sarthon as menacingly as he could.  
  
*I said, I'm sick of you.* It didn't sound as strong-voiced as he would have liked it to, but he had said it. To Sarthon's face.  
  
Sarthon was staring at Harry incredulously.  
  
*You think you're so great,* said Harry quietly, voice shaking with both fear and rage. *You think you can do what you want to me, to us, and we won't say anything. Well- you're wrong! I'm sick of this! All day you ridicule me and humiliate me, you spoil my fun, steal my food, even lie about me to my friends. You frame me for all the things you've done wrong, and you stomp on me whenever you can. But you know what? You're just scared! You're like my cousin, such a big bully, just because you're really so insecure that you don't know how to act! If you harm me or any of my friends again, I will talk to your father and Serenity, and everybody will believe me, not you! Stay away from me!*  
  
Sarthon stared at Harry for a moment while the others giggled. Then, he muttered *Come on.* to his gang and ran away at top speed. The roaring laughter of Harry and his friends followed him, and Harry was the boy of the day, being the first living being to ever put Sarthon in his place.  
  
Harry never told anyone that he had gotten the 'bully' part of his speech from Serenity, who had tried to comfort him when Sarthon had been too mean. He didn't really understand what it meant, but thought that it sounded good, and obviously, it had intimidated Sarthon as well. All in all, Harry was content with himself.  
  
******************************END FLASHBACK*****************************  
  
At night, Harry was always safely ensconced in the Eternal Meadows. At night, the Ancient Forest's dangerous side showed itself. Acromantula, werewolfs (at least at full moon), Hinkypunks and other dark creatures haunted the forest. The malicious shape-changers, those who were not raised and trained by the elves, also chose to make an appearance then.  
  
Harry had had a very unfortunate run-in with an especially big Acromantula named 'Aragog', which means 'danger' in elven language, only about a month after his arrival. He had sneaked out at night without Serenity's permission, curious about the magical place that was his new home.  
  
Aragog, who had apparently been out hunting that night, had spotted him not too far away from the Meadows and immediately pounced on him. Apparently, he didn't often*click* get human*click* flesh in*click click* this forest*click* because*click click* Hagrid had forbidden*click* him to*click* come to Hogwarts and*click* get some. – *Click*.  
  
Fortunately, just as Aragog had prepared to sink his huge pincers into Harry's mid-section, Harry had recovered from his shock and screamed "loudly enough to wake the dead," as Ethryl, who had rushed to his aid, had said. The elf had been near-by – stargazing with his friends, the centaurs – and fought Aragog. Aragog had been blinded by the elf's magic and fled into the forest.  
  
Harry had got away with a scare and a bleeding gash on his right leg and had never ventured into the forest at night again. For his future protection, the elves had taken it upon themselves to teach him archery. The small, silver elven longbow that had been Harry's sixth birthday's present from the king and queen was always taken along when he left the Meadows.  
  
Over time, Harry even made friends with Catheryna, the stuck-up elven princess. He actually did have a good influence on her, and while she was still slightly spoiled, she had at least stopped her imperious act.  
  
Harry had been adopted by the elves, and it was hard to say which part of his 'family' he spent more time with- the unicorns or the elves.  
  
Harry's seventh birthday was celebrated loudly, as seven years was the age when unicorns reach full maturity. Of course Harry wasn't really fully grown yet, far from it, but Serenity had seen how much it had hurt him to see his friends grow up without him and was willing to relent a little.  
  
Proud, seven-year-old little Harry was now allowed to explore the forest on his own, as long as he didn't stay away for too long a time. Harry accepted this without question.  
  
Exploring was Harry's favourite activity. Sometimes he was accompanied by Serenity, Pegasus or Stardust, sometimes by Ethryl and Cathey, but sometimes Harry went alone. Secretly, he found those times to be the most exciting. Not that he would ever tell that to either of his family- he didn't want to hurt their feelings, after all.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
It was a beautiful December day, snowflakes were falling from the sky lightly and soundlessly, filling it with millions of tiny, white spots. Harry threw his head back and opened his mouth, allowing the snowflakes to melt on his tongue. He giggled lightly as one landed on the tip of his nose.  
  
Harry knew that he should get back to the Eternal Meadows soon- Serenity would be worried, it was getting dark, and he was really cold- but he just couldn't bring himself to return.  
  
Harry also knew that it had to be around Christmas time. If there was one thing Harry missed about living with humans, it was Christmas. Even though Harry had never received any presents from the Dursleys and never been allowed to attend the family's celebration except for the part that involved watching Dudley unwrap package after package while he, Harry, got nothing at all, he had always loved the Christmas atmosphere. The beautiful trees, smells of baking cookies- not that he was ever allowed to eat one- doing handicrafts at kindergarten- it had been one of the few times Harry had been happy, one of the few lights of his life. Now, his life was good, but Harry still missed Christmas.  
  
It was such a beautiful day for exploring, and Harry had gone further than ever before. The trees were starting to get sparser than Harry was used to, and Harry knew suddenly that he was nearing the edge of the forest.  
  
He wanted to see it again. Just for one second. The memory of its thousands of little towers and windows had never quite left Harry's mind. Hogwarts had seemed so warm that day almost three years before, so inviting, so beautiful. Like a fairytale.  
  
And there it was. The gigantic castle was looming in the distance, as magnificent and majestic as Harry remembered it. It looked very unreal with the snow covering every roof and window ledge, balcony and walkway. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful castle Harry had ever seen, fairytale book or not. Harry could see the light in the windows and even make out the shape of a huge tree through one of them. So he had been right, it was Christmas.  
  
For one second, just one second, Harry longed to be inside the castle, celebrating Christmas with all the other children. For just one moment Harry wanted to be part of them again, blend in with the mass, sit down under the Christmas tree as he had done at the Dursleys' (at night, when they were asleep) and just pretend for a while that everything was perfect in his life.  
  
Harry was so absorbed in the beauty of the castle that he completely missed the sounds coming out of the forest on his right side. He missed the heavy boot steps, grunts of strain, sliding noises as something huge and heavy was being dragged through the snow. He missed the dull 'thump' as the heavy tree was dropped to the floor, the steps stopped in surprise, big eyes were rubbed to get rid of the illusion in front of them.  
  
But Harry was startled out of his reverie abruptly by the loud voice calling out to him, "Hey, yeh there! Who are yeh? Wha' are yeh doin' here?"  
  
Harry gasped and whirled around. Standing right in front of him, only a few feet away, was Hagrid, the half-giant and Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Harry backed away.  
  
"No, don' run away!" said the gigantic man. "I mean yeh no harm. Hey, where are yeh goin'? This is the Dark Fores', yeh can' go in there- hey!"  
  
But Harry didn't listen. Heart pounding so loudly that Harry feared it would be audible in the whole forest, he turned on his heel and fled back into the trees blindly, running as fast as his feet would carry him, terrified, and never looking back.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
A/N: Hope you liked it. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!  
  
Until next time,  
  
Felinity 


	7. Realisations

**_Unicorn Child_**

**_A/N_****_:_** _Well, here it is! I hope you will enjoy the new chapter. As review answers should no longer be posted as part of the Author's Notes due to the new message board/chat regulation, they will be posted sometime soon on my Yahoo!Group. You can find the link in my profile._

_Thanks, everyone, for your nice reviews, and thanks to my beta reader Michael!_

_On with the story!_

* * *

_**Chapter Six**__**:** __Realisation_

* * *

"Bla Bla" = Human Speech

**Bla Bla** = Unicorn Speech

_Bla Bla_ = Language of the Forest

* * *

Harry ran as fast as his shaking legs would carry him. His heart was pounding almost painfully, he had a stitch in his side, every lungful of cold air seemed to tear his throat and insides apart and his vision was blurry with tears induced by the frigid air rushing past him, but Harry didn't stop. He couldn't.

Terrifying images of his life in the human world assaulted him relentlessly, frightening him, blinding him. Branches snapped into his face and he kept running into trees, as it got darker with every passing minute.

Harry stumbled across a root and fell. He scraped his left knee and both his wrists, but he was too scared to stop. His clothes were dirty and torn. He had lost his bow and arrows somewhere along the way. He was bleeding a little from the many scratches and gashes on his body, and, worst of all, he was hopelessly lost.

Serenity and the elves had warned him continuously not to stray from the paths, to watch out for certain landmarks so that he could always find his way home. Harry, in his panic to get away from the human who had spotted him after all this time, who was surely going to take him back, cage him, hate him… had forgotten their advice. And now he had no idea where he was.

It was almost completely dark. Harry stumbled blindly and numbly through the forest. What little remained of his vision in the darkness was impeded by tears. His knee, wrists and the other wounds on his body ached and burned terribly. The cold seeped through his torn clothes and left him shivering, causing his teeth to chatter.

The forest was silent around Harry, terrifying him even more. Silence was a sure sign that there was danger around. Harry stumbled again and fell, twisting his ankle painfully. When he tried to get up again, he found that he could not.

Harry curled up a little on the cold, damp forest ground and cried silently.

* * *

"Are you certain, Hagrid?" Albus Dumbledore leaned forward and peered at his groundskeeper intently over the rim of his half-moon-shaped glasses. "Are you certain this is what you saw? A boy? A little boy, alone in the forest?"

Hagrid looked out of place in the Staff Room, seated in the biggest chair he could find and still towering over everybody else in the room. It was the evening before Christmas, and the whole staff had assembled to hear the incredible event Hagrid had just finished describing.

"Preposterous," Professor McGonagall declared briskly. "Hagrid, I mean no disrespect, but have you maybe had too many meads down in the _'Hog's Head'_ tonight? A small child, alone in the forest, in the middle of winter? Impossible."

Hagrid bristled visibly.

"I've had no meads ternight, Professor," he boomed, accidentally crushing the cup of tea he had been holding. "Oops… sorry, Professor…" he looked sheepishly at Dumbledore, who waved a hand dismissively. "Those lil' delicate things you have up here… anyway, I swear Professor, this is what I saw. A lil' boy, maybe six, seven years ol', holding a bow and a quiver o' arrows, staring a' Hogwarts as though he'd never seen a castle before."

Remus Lupin, Hogwarts's youngest employee together with the Potions Professor Severus Snape, leaned forward in his seat.

"Did you per chance get a good look at the boy, Hagrid?" he asked with what sounded like genuine interest. "Signs of cold? Malnutrition? State of clothing? Hair colour, eye colour?"

Hagrid appeared confused for a moment, furrowing his thick brows.

"I only caugh' a brief glimpse o' him, Remus," he admitted, "but he seemed fine. Cold, maybe… not too thin, I think. Black hair, I didn' see his eyes… His clothes were fine… now tha' you mention it, though, they appeared to be made o' leather and plants. An' he had his bow… seemed righ' terrified o' me, though. Ran like the devil even when I tol' him that I didn' mean him any harm."

"Imagine that," Professor Snape commented dryly and leaned back in his seat. Hagrid glared at him and Professor McGonagall hissed a disapproving 'Severus!' to which he only sneered.

"Curious… very curious," Dumbledore mumbled as he, too, leaned back and steepled his fingers contemplatively. "What could a human child want in the Forbidden Forest? And, more importantly, who is helping him survive?"

"Albus," Minerva snapped impatiently, "You cannot tell me that you are taking this seriously! Clearly, Hagrid has had too much alcohol and has imagined the boy! A child in the forest… at this time of the year! It is ridiculous!"

"I do not believe that Hagrid is drunk, Minerva," Dumbledore said quietly. "Stranger things have happened at Hogwarts, after all."

"Stranger things than small children turning up in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of winter? How would he survive? Who could have taken him there? And, most importantly-" she leaned forward in her chair- "Hagrid said that the child was looking at Hogwarts. Muggles cannot see the castle. The boy would have to be magical, and no magical children of that age have been reported missing!"

Albus Dumbledore froze. An insane hope was rising within him. Could it be? Could he be there, so close to Hogwarts, hundreds of miles away from the place where he was last seen? Could he have found his way across the country against all odds, with nobody to rely on but himself? And if yes, who was helping the boy? For it couldn't be muggles, nor witches and wizards.

"No," McGonagall whispered quietly, staring at Dumbledore as though she had just seen a particularly frightening ghost. "Albus, you're not… you're thinking… Harry Potter?"

Many of the other professors gasped.

"I can think of no one else," Dumbledore admitted quietly. "He is the only missing wizarding child at the moment. If he is still alive, he has to be seven years old now. He definitely has black hair… but who is _helping_ the boy?"

"It must be witches or wizards," Professor Sprout offered excitedly. "Hagrid said the boy was carrying a bow… only human beings carry bows!"

"An' centaurs," Hagrid added, "The centaurs o' the Forbidden Forest carry bows as well. I'm on friendly terms with some o' them."

"Would the centaurs take in a small human child if they found one, Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked intently.

Hagrid looked torn between pride that Headmaster Dumbledore was asking him for advice and doubt.

"I don' think so, Professor," he said pensively. "Centaurs ain't not too fond o' human beings… they won' do no harm to the boy… they're very honourable creatures, centaurs… but take him in? Maybe one o' the younger ones, Firenze migh'… but I doubt it, Professor. Don' like to mingle with humans too much. They would bring 'im here, I think."

Dumbledore nodded. "I thought so," he muttered, "Someone else is helping the boy, then. Maybe the legends are true after all…"

"Which legends are you talking about, Albus?" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick excitedly.

"I might be wrong," Dumbledore said with a slight frown, "But unless I am very much mistaken, there are old records of elf sightings in the school's library. They have been written off as rumours in the past, but given tonight's evidence… I rather think that there might be truth to them. Bows and arrows, clothes made of natural material… in any event, I do believe that the situation requires further investigation. We will establish guards at the edge of the forest- if the boy returns, we may be able to stop and talk to him. Now," he smiled, looking at the disbelieving faces of his colleagues sitting around the table, his eyes twinkling merrily, "Who would like to take the first shift?"

* * *

"Here he is! I've found him!"

Harry woke abruptly and sat up, hitting his head on a low branch. He groaned unhappily. He hurt all over, his clothes were clammy and cold, he himself was freezing and his throat felt scratchy.

Catheryna leaned over him curiously.

"Hey, Harry," she said casually, brushing a dry leaf from one of her sleeves. "Mum and Dad are worried sick about you. Serenity, too. You never returned to the Meadows last night."

At the age of nine, Catheryna, though she had mellowed down from her spoiled, six-year-old self considerably, was hopelessly vain.

Harry could hear hasty footsteps approaching and whimpered. The dull thuds were not helping his headache.

"Hey," Catheryna said again, a little frown marring her flawless forehead. "Are you all right? Can you get up?"

Harry shook his head weakly, remembering the stabbing pain in his ankle. His eyelids were too heavy to stay open, so Harry allowed them to droop again.

* * *

Sometimes, he felt unbearably hot. He was burning to death in an everlasting fire, the flames licking at his face, arms, chest… Harry moaned in distress and tried to get away from them, to no avail. The flames were relentless, torturing him, bathing him in heat and cold sweat…

…then came the cold, the darkness. Harry was caught in an endless sea of ice, piercing his skin, consuming him. He shivered and shook, his teeth chattering terribly. The cold was almost harder to bear than the fire because it froze not only his body, but also his heart…

…sometimes, he dreamed of colours. Strange, meaningless colourful bubbles dancing around his head, evading his hands when he tried to catch them. Harry liked these dreams. They made him laugh and smile.

…sometimes, he had terrible nightmares filled with unspeakable terror and horrible monsters chasing Harry. The monsters were always faster than Harry, gaining on him, no matter how fast he ran or how loudly he screamed for help.

…sometimes, Harry thought that he could feel soothing hands on his face, brushing his sweaty hair from his forehead or caressing his cheeks. These dreams filled him with a terrible, burning ache of longing… for what, Harry didn't know. When the kindness of these dreams was too much for Harry, he cried.

…sometimes, when Harry felt especially peaceful, he could see people in his dreams. Two people, always the same… a couple, a young man and a young woman. The man looked a lot like Harry with his black, tousled hair, though he was wearing glasses and his eyes were not green. The woman had red hair and green eyes that looked exactly like Harry's, but she was usually crying. Harry wanted to comfort her, but whenever he tried to step closer to the couple, they took a step back and shook their heads with sad smiles.

…sometimes, Harry had moments of clarity. He could hear hushed voices around him, someone was holding his hand, wiping his face with wet cloths and making him drink strange, aromatic substances.

…sometimes, Harry felt like giving up. He floated for hours in warm, comfortable nothingness, a strange apathy taking hold of him. But something was always holding Harry back, beckoning him to the surface of the pit he was caught in, luring him out of the darkness…

* * *

"He's awake!"

Harry moaned, opening his eyes with agonising slowness. He felt as though he had been run over by a particularly heavy truck. His head hurt, his throat felt unbearably dry, his lips were chapped and bleeding and he felt terribly weak.

Harry couldn't remember ever feeling so miserable in his life before. A small tear ran down his face before he had even noticed it.

"Harry," a gentle voice spoke to his left, "Can you hear us?"

Harry turned his head painfully. Ethryl was kneeling in front of him, brushing the hair from his eyes. Behind him, the king and queen were watching him, concern showing in their eyes. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. His throat was simply too parched. He coughed twice and felt the bittersweet tang of blood in his mouth.

Ethryl reached somewhere beyond Harry's vision and retrieved a leaf filled to the brim with water. With his free hand, he supported Harry's head; with the other, he raised the leaf to Harry's lips. The water burned coldly in Harry's throat and brought more tears to Harry's eyes.

"Shhh," Ethryl said soothingly. "Sleep, Harry. You will feel better soon."

He brushed his hand across Harry's eyes, and Harry allowed himself to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Harry woke up the next time, he felt much better. There was no one in the room with him, and he sat up weakly.

"Hello?" Harry almost didn't recognise his voice. It was hoarse and raspy and much quieter than he had intended.

Nobody came. Harry looked around the room. By the look of things, he was in one of the elven houses, and there was a small table beside him with a magical leaf of water on it. Harry reached over and grasped the leaf in both hands. It shook terribly and some of the water sloshed out of it, but Harry managed to gulp down a few sips and then put the leaf back on to the table.

He sank down into his bed again exhaustedly, deciding to sleep a little more.

* * *

A few days later, Harry was finally strong enough to stay awake for longer periods of time. The elves gave him soup and other foods that were easy to digest; Harry was grateful. They also fed him strengthening potions and healed all of the cuts and bruises he had managed to collect on his nightly flight of terror.

"Ethryl," Harry asked quietly, as the elf healed the last of Harry's injuries- the scrape on his knee. "You know so much about magic and healing. Why was I so ill these past few days?"

Ethryl smiled and ruffled Harry's hair lovingly while sitting down on the bed beside him and putting an arm around his shoulders. Harry, however, was still not feeling too well and decided that he wanted to be comforted properly. Ethryl seemed to sense his need and allowed Harry to sit on his lap.

"Elves, Harry," he said quietly, after Harry had found a comfortable position, "Cannot get sick, just like they cannot die from old age. We know a lot about healing injuries and strengthening someone who is recuperating from an injury, but we know nothing about human illness. I'm sorry that we could not be of more help to you, Harry."

Harry smiled happily.

"You've been great, Ethryl. I feel much better already. When can I get up?"

Ethryl laughed softly. "Sorry, Unicorn Child, you'll have to be patient. You may feel better now, but you are far from healthy."

Harry sighed. As much as he loved Ethryl and the elves' gentle care, he missed Serenity and the other unicorns terribly.

* * *

Three days later, Harry was finally allowed to leave his sickbed. Ethryl carried him down the elven ladder himself, while Serenity was waiting at the foot of the stairs, prancing around impatiently.

As soon as he had reached the ground, Harry ran over to his unicorn mother and threw his arms around her neck. Serenity nuzzled his face and neck, snorting and whinnying excitedly.

**I've missed you so much, Harry!**

Harry smiled into her fur and hoisted himself on to her back with Ethryl's help. Serenity carried him safely to the Eternal Meadows and the rest of the day was spent in happy celebration.

Later that night, when things had quieted down and Harry lay snuggled up to Serenity's body, millions of stars shining in the clear night sky above them, Serenity asked the question Harry had been expecting to hear all day.

**What happened to you, Harry? Why did you not return, and why were you so far away from home?**

There was slight reproach in her voice, even though she clearly tried to stay objective. Harry stiffened anyway as though she had scolded him.

**I'm sorry, Mummy,** he whispered, **I was just scared.**

A soft muzzle nudged his cheek.

**What were you scared of, Little One? What frightened you so?**

Harry was silent for a long time, but Serenity waited patiently.

**I went back to see it,** he whispered,** the castle. You know, the wizard school- Hogwarts. I was thinking about the humans who go there… and then one of them spotted me. Hagrid, the half-giant. He tried to call me back, and I was so scared… I just ran and ran and forgot to watch where I was going, and then I was lost…**

Harry remembered the terror and clutched Serenity's mane more tightly. She nuzzled his cheek reassuringly.

**Don't worry, Little One. You're safe now.**

Harry nodded, still feeling unhappy.

**What if they come after me, Mummy? What if they take me back? I don't want to be locked in again like with the Dursleys-**

**Nobody will ever lock you in again,** Serenity snorted fiercely. **I won't allow it!**

Harry smiled a little and basked in the feeling of warmth and safety that surrounded him.

**I don't even know why I went back,** he said quietly. **I should never have returned… I forgot the Dursleys for a moment… I'm so, so sorry, Mummy, I don't know why I went there. I knew it was dangerous…**

Serenity was silent. Harry sat up and turned around.

**Mum? Mummy? What's wrong?**

Serenity was looking at him with a strange mixture of sadness, regret and pride in her eyes.

**Harry, **she said very gently.** Little One… I am not angry that you went to see the humans.**

Harry frowned in a puzzled way. **You're not? Why not? I could have been caught! They could have captured me…!**

Serenity seemed to sigh and looked deeply into Harry's eyes.

**Harry, Love,** she said quietly, **I know that you don't want to hear this, but one day you will have to return to the humans.**

Harry felt as though she had slapped him in the face. **You're sending me away?** Harry could feel tears in his eyes and tried desperately to hold them back. Nothing the Dursleys had said had ever hurt him like this.

**No, Little One, **Serenity hurried to assure him, nuzzling his face quickly.** I will never send you away. Not ever, Harry. You will always have a place with me and the other unicorns and with Ethryl and the elves… you are one of us, Harry, and we all love you. But at the same time, you must see that you don't belong here. You belong with your kind, Harry… we will keep you here as long we can, but one day you will want to leave and our company won't be enough for you anymore, and then we will have to let you go.**

Harry was silent. He felt desolate, mostly because he knew that his unicorn mother was right.

**You are still so young now, Harry,** Serenity continued, still nuzzling Harry's face gently. **I know you feel happy with us now. But one day, you will feel the need to mate like Prince and Tayleen, and then you will have to leave.**

Harry pulled a face and was just about to claim that he would most certainly _never_ want to do something as disgusting as_ that_, when Serenity whinnied in amusement and nuzzled him once more.

**I know it must seem ridiculous to one as young as you,** she said with a kind smile, **But you will feel the need to leave one day, Harry, and it's always better to be prepared.** Her voice turned stern. **I want you to return to the castle when you feel up to it. I'm not asking you to join them… but please, watch them, get to know them from afar. Familiarise yourself with everything so that one day, when you are ready, you can contact them. Does that sound acceptable to you?**

Harry mulled it over in his head for a while, and then he nodded hesitantly. Watch from afar he could. As long as he didn't have to _talk_ to them.

Serenity gave the unicorn equivalent of a smile and nuzzled his cheek again.

**Sleep now, Little One,** she muttered softly. **Remember, you will always have a place here with us. Sweet dreams.**

She touched her horn to Harry's forehead and sent him into a deep sleep.

* * *

It took a few more days for Harry to get his full strength back. He spent these days quietly with his friends, trying not to think too much about what Serenity had said. Catheryna and Pegasus did their best to cheer him up, and so Harry found himself on endless rampages through the forest with them again soon.

Two weeks after his fateful encounter with Hagrid, Harry's curiosity finally got the better of him. He ventured out into the forest alone, his small bow, which had been returned to him by the elves, clutched securely in his hands. The leather of his new shirt felt strange against Harry's skin, stiff and unyielding.

Harry sighed as he remembered the comfortable softness of his old clothing. As he had been in dire need of new clothes, the elves had decided to give him a complete elven outfit- and while Harry was grateful, it also took time to get used to it.

Elven gear was heavily layered with all kinds of protective spells and potions, making it more secure than any suit of armour Harry could have worn.

At least the snow felt soft and familiar against Harry's feet, which were protected by elven magic against the cold. Harry was quite proud of himself for having managed to learn casting several elven spells. One of them he was using now: Even though it was winter and the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow, Harry's feet were bare and felt warm- because they were not sinking into the ground. Harry had made himself weightless and placed a protective bubble around his feet.

This also had the advantage that he was making no sound as he was walking and that he was leaving no footprints.

Harry could feel his breathing quicken as the trees started to thin around him. He was getting close and he knew it.

Side-stepping a thick tree trunk in his way, Harry stopped short. He could see the castle in the distance, its snow-covered roofs and turrets sparkling in the sunlight.

There was no sound in the air except for Harry's breathing. That was the first thing that should have tipped Harry off. There was a trail of footprints leading to a dense scrub on his right side- footprints that were not leading back. That was the second thing that should have tipped Harry off.

But Harry did not pay attention to his surroundings, standing entranced by the beauty of the landscape in front of him.

A strange, longing ache had settled in Harry's chest again and he could not understand it. He was happy in the forest. He loved Serenity and Ethryl, who were like parents to Harry, and he had many friends like Catheryna, Pegasus or Stardust. Why was that not enough? Why did he have the wish to join the humans inside the castle?

Humans had only ever brought Harry pain. With a shudder and a small whimper Harry remembered Dudley's taunting and his beatings, his uncle's screaming, his aunt's endless tirades about his worthlessness…

Harry made a strangled sound strangely reminiscent of a wounded puppy and turned around, intent on retreating to the safety of the Meadows as soon as possible… Until he ran headfirst into a black-clad figure that had snuck up behind him.

Harry fell back into the snow with a dull thud and stared up at the man dazedly.

"Well, well, well," the man said with a distinct sneer in his voice, "If it isn't the poltergeist of the Forbidden Forest."

The man, Harry noticed, while he looked frantically for an escape, had long, black and extremely greasy hair. His nose was hooked, his teeth yellowed and his skin strangely sallow. The thing that caught Harry's attention the most, though, was the man's eyes- they seemed to be completely black and glittered with coldness.

The man picked Harry up by his collar.

"Dumbledore will be very pleased about your capture, boy," he continued, tucking Harry beneath his arm like a sack of potatoes, "He has been looking for you for a while now."

Harry squirmed frantically in the man's tight hold. He tried to bite and scratch the arms holding him and kicked desperately with his legs. The man stumbled.

_"Will- you- hold- still!"_ he hissed angrily, almost dropping Harry as the boy managed to sink his sharp little teeth into the man's arm. Harry had to let go quickly, though, as the arm was shaken roughly as though to detach a wild animal.

The arms tightened around Harry as the man cursed under his breath. Harry squirmed more desperately as his air supply got cut off. The man stopped exasperatedly and stuck his left hand into his pocket, obviously looking for something.

"I gave you a chance, boy, but since you refuse to comply, I'll have to resort to oth- _ow! Stop that, you little monster!_"

Harry had again managed to sink his teeth into the arm that was still clutching him tightly. The man shook his arm viciously, cursing Harry in a manner that reminded him uncomfortably of Uncle Vernon. As the man's hold loosened for one second, Harry took his chance and kicked violently at the back of his captor's knee.

The man gasped and released Harry accidentally as his leg buckled automatically.

Harry did not hesitate; while the man was still picking himself up from the snow, he was off like a shot into the direction of the forest. Thankfully, due to Harry's interference, the man had not managed to cover a lot of ground and Harry was already past the first trees as he felt the first spell whizzing past his ear.

He stumbled in panic, his mind filled with visions of ugly, green light and high-pitched, malicious cold laughter…

After ten minutes of running as fast as he could through thick underbrush, Harry collapsed between the roots of an old tree, trying frantically to calm the loud pounding of his heart and hold his breath to listen. He heard nothing, but Harry was no fool. He knew that it could be a trap, that the man could still be nearby waiting for Harry to show himself or make any sound.

The spells on his feet had held out, and Harry was at least sure that he had left no footprints in the deep snow. The man, on the other hand, must have been hindered in his progress by both that and the thick underbrush, which did not impede Harry much because of his small size.

A few minutes later, after Harry's heartbeat had at last returned to its normal rate, Harry decided to risk leaving his hideout to find the way home. Fortunately, this time, he had managed not to stray too far from the pathways and managed to identify his location.

It took almost an hour for Harry to reach the Eternal Meadows. As soon as he saw Serenity grazing peacefully a few hundred feet away from him, Harry broke into a run again and buried his face in her soft fur. He was shaking and crying, the shock of his near-capture having caught up with him only now.

Serenity was quite alarmed at the distress of her foal; it took her a long time to calm him down and coax him to speak. When Harry had finally been able to stop crying and shaking and was curled up securely against his unicorn mother, who had lain down in the grass behind him, he told her everything that had happened.

Serenity was outraged, shaking and snorting with fury, her horn glowing a ferocious angry red.

**How dare they!** thundered she, **How dare they take my foal! They were supposed to let you adjust, let you come to them in your own time! Instead they try to capture you like- like- like one of the poor animals they imprison in cages to look at them for their own pleasure!**

Harry, feeling a little intimidated, realised that Serenity was talking about a zoo.

**That's it, **Serenity neighed furiously,** Harry, you're not returning to the castle. I forbid it. If they're not going to let you decide, they are not worth your time! From now on, you will not venture out into the forest on your own anymore, understand, Little One? You will not leave unless either Ethryl, myself, or at least two of your friends are with you.**

Harry pouted. He loved his parents and his friends, but he enjoyed his own explorations the most.

**But Mum,** Harry protested, **I promise I won't go to the castle again. Please let me explore the forest on my own. I'll be careful, I promise!**

Serenity's eyes softened. She caressed Harry's cheek with her soft muzzle.

**I'm sorry, Harry,** she whinnied sadly,** I'm only doing this because I worry about you. You are still so young, Little One, and even though I know that if you were a unicorn, you would already be fully grown, you are still a foal as far as humans go. Please accept this.**

Harry frowned sulkily, realising that Serenity would not be deterred.

**Fine,** he said in such a sulky voice that Serenity had to hide a smile. Harry sounded so cute when he was sulking that nobody could stay serious, a fact which endeared him to everyone and which annoyed him to no end.

**Go to sleep.** Serenity said softly and nuzzled Harry again.

Harry sighed as he snuggled more securely into his unicorn mother's thick, glossy winter pelt.

He would worry more about this in the morning.

* * *

The doors to the Great Hall crashed open forcefully as Severus Snape stormed through them. The rest of the Hogwarts staff had assembled for dinner and were quite astonished to see the fuming Potions Master plop down in his seat.

"Severus," Dumbledore broke the shocked silence, "Has anything happened that caused you to leave your shift early-on? If I recall correctly, Minerva is not due to leave for another hour and a half."

At the headmaster's words, the Potions Master's rage seemed to intensify. Professor Sprout, in the seat directly next to his, scooted away wisely.

"_Happened_?" the young professor spat, "I'll tell you what happened! That little brat happened, that _monster,_ that little _menace_…"

"_Severus_," Professor McGonagall interrupted a little sharply, "Would you care to enlighten us as to what you are talking about?"

Snape gritted his teeth. "I am talking," he forced out, "About that _brat_… about that… _Potter_!"

The name sounded like a terrible curse from his tongue and he sat back, feeling a little more satisfied than before. Remus Lupin, on the other hand, scooted forward in his chair anxiously.

"You've seen Harry?" he asked hopefully, "You've talked to him?"

Snape's fury rose again. "I would have talked to him, yes," he spat angrily, "If the little brat had been willing to listen! Tell me again, Albus, why are we wasting our time on that… _Potter_? He obviously doesn't want to be caught, and who cares if he lives in a bloody forest, he's obviously so well cared for in there that he refuses to condescend to our level like any normal living human being. Oh, no, _Potter_ is above all- why should he need us? That stuck-up, little, vicious _beast_ bit me once already, and if you ask me, he can just bite my-"

"_Severus_!" This time, it was Professor Flitwick who had interrupted his tirade.

"_What_?" Snape snarled.

"Perhaps," the small professor suggested calmly, "You wouldn't mind telling us the whole story?"

"An excellent idea!" Dumbledore beamed at his employees. "Lemon drop, anyone?"

"No, thank you, Albus," Severus huffed. He then proceeded to tell his story. "I was hiding in a dense patch of scrub when Potter approached. I didn't hear him at all, he moved soundlessly, as far as I could tell. His feet left no imprints in the snow even though the snow was fresh and loose. It was obviously some kind of magic, but I could not identify it."

He paused and took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"I decided to make sure that Potter couldn't get away again at first, so I snuck up behind him. Potter didn't hear me; he was staring at the school, quite transfixed, apparently. I thought I had him when he suddenly turned around and ran straight into me.

"He fell back into the snow and stared at me for a second or two."

Severus frowned slightly.

"Potter does have green eyes, doesn't he, Lupin?"

Remus clutched the armrests of his chair more tightly. "Yes, he… does. Lily's eyes." His voice was hoarse.

"What happened then, Severus?" Professor Dumbledore asked intently.

"He started looking for a way to escape, I suppose, judging by the way he acted. I, er… picked him up and started to carry him towards Hogwarts…"

"You didn't try to talk to him?" Professor McGonagall frowned sternly. "Severus, couldn't you have tried to _talk _to him first before resorting to physical violence?"

Severus shifted uncomfortably. "He was trying to get away," he insisted with a scowl. "There was no talking to Potter. He was behaving like a caged animal!"

"Which he may very well have felt like," Dumbledore muttered pensively. He waved his left hand. "Continue, please, Severus."

"I started to carry him towards Hogwarts," Severus repeated, glaring at his plate, "But the little idiot would not keep still. He bit me twice, and when I tried to get to my wand in order to subdue him, he kicked the back of my knee and I accidentally dropped him."

Severus fumed silently as he noticed Professors Sinistra and Vector stifling laughter.

"By the time I got to my feet, that little monster was already vanishing in the forest. I sent a freezing spell after him, to no avail. I tried to follow him as well, but the brat left no footprints and was much more agile than I was in the underbrush. I lost him after a few minutes and returned here as quickly as possible."

Professors Sinistra and Vector giggled audibly.

"Really, Severus," Sinistra gasped, "Outwitted by a seven-year-old? The great Severus Snape, Duelling Champion of Slytherin for three successive years?"

"Shut _up_!" Severus snarled viciously, feeling a blush rising in his cheeks for the first time in years. "If you don't shut up right now, I'll make you!"

"Now, now Severus," Dumbledore interrupted with a stern glance at the two amused professors, "Calm down. Young Mr Potter simply took you by surprise, as he would have all of us, I am sure."

Another stern glance in the direction of Professors Sinistra and Vector shut the two of them up.

"Were you able to make any observations regarding the state of Harry's health, Severus?" Professor Sprout inquired curiously.

"From what I could see, he seemed fine," Severus ground out, still glaring darkly at the two unfortunate professors. "Rather small, I should think, and quite light, but not malnourished. He looked healthy otherwise… and he was surprisingly strong for somebody of his size and weight. I do not think that we need to worry about Potter's health… his teeth were definitely healthy."

He pulled up his sleeve and showed the professors the perfectly half-moon-shaped imprints Harry's sharp teeth had left on his skin.

"Oh, dear me," Professor Dumbledore observed with some amusement. "No wonder you dropped him, Severus. Those bites must have hurt. You say that he got you twice?"

Severus grudgingly pulled up the sleeve of his other arm, baring two identical imprints in the process.

This time, there was no stopping Professors Sinistra and Vector as they dissolved into hilarity.

* * *

Harry didn't go back to the castle. The danger, the risk of being caught and imprisoned again like he had been at the Dursleys' was simply too great. He tried to distract himself with other activities, playing with his friends and exploring the other side of the forest; yet his treacherous thoughts kept wandering back to the beautiful, snowy castle he had seen that Christmas Day.

Harry was happy with his life in the forest- he loved the unicorns and elves; especially Serenity and Ethryl, who were like parents to him, and they loved him back. Catheryna and Harry were hardly seen apart and were usually accompanied by at least two or three of their unicorn friends.

But as the days progressed and Harry grew older, it became more and more apparent to him that he did not really belong in this wonderful, magical and dangerous world. It started shortly after Harry had returned from his near-capture at Hogwarts. Sarthon, who had been holding himself back over the past few years, began his taunting again- the only difference was that now, as Harry was older and had lived in the forest for a long time, the jabs grew more personal and often hit Harry where it hurt the most.

Serenity spent countless nights comforting a crying Harry and reassuring him that he did belong in the forest with them; that he was not tolerated out of pity and that she had no intentions of ever dumping him, no matter how old he was.

Sarthon earned himself a stern talking to by his father, who had witnessed one of those sessions, and ceased his taunting immediately. Silion had threatened to disown him as his heir. Yet even as Sarthon was forced to hold his tongue, the malicious, gleeful glances he threw at Harry served as a constant reminder of his painful words.

It did not help that there was a growing rift between Harry and Catheryna magically. Catheryna, now ten years old, was starting to learn some of the more complicated aspects of elven magic, such as the shower of glittering dust that allowed the elves to climb their trees.

Harry, who had mastered simple elven magic effortlessly and progressed to a high level in wandless human magic, could not follow her anymore. The intricate elven magic required a certain percentage of elven blood to flow in the caster's veins; thus making it impossible for Harry to keep up with his best friend's lessons anymore.

Ethryl and the king and queen, very aware of Harry's frustration, had warned Catheryna not to say anything about her newfound talents- and she heeded their warning- but seeing her pride and happiness after successfully casting a new spell was enough for Harry. Ethryl and Harry grew closer as the elf frequently comforted Harry, but his likeness to humans only made Harry want to completely fit in even more.

Months went by without any change. The longing, which had started out as a small, indistinct notion, had progressed to a full-blown ache and Harry was starting to be truly unhappy.

His explorations became longer and longer, he evaded his friends' questions more and more successfully. Not even his Animagus form, the black unicorn, helped Harry fit in anymore- Harry was exceedingly aware of his unusual colouring that made him stand out even when his shape was similar to that of his mother and friends.

One day in May, after a long, lonely day spent in the forest flicking stones into a small pond and staring at his disgustingly human reflection, Harry returned to the Meadows and overheard Ethryl and Serenity talking.

_You must let him go, Serenity, _Ethryl was saying, _he is wasting away before our eyes._

Harry crept closer and crouched down behind one of the thick bushes, listening with bated breath and a growing amount of fear. Were they talking about him? Were they making him go?

Serenity was prancing about unhappily and snorting in agitation.

_I know, Ethryl, I know,_ she neighed, _Do you think that I have not been watching my foal? I have seen him, even when he felt as though no one was there. The endless walks through the forest… sitting by himself all day long, staring at the trees or at his own reflection… cutting himself off from his friends… growing quieter by the day…_ She broke off, apparently too upset to continue talking.

_He used to be so happy here, Ethryl,_ she lowered her beautiful head in defeat, _he used to be so carefree. He loved his life here in the forest, but now? He's closing himself off and yearning for the company of those who have hurt him so terribly!_

Ethryl stroked her soft muzzle once to calm her.

_I know,_ he said softly, _I have seen it, too. Harry has started to realise that the forest is simply no place for a human and that he belongs with his people, whether he likes it or not. They are his kind, his race. He must go back and his sadness is induced by that knowledge._

Harry felt a stab of pain in his heart. Ethryl wanted him to go back. Harry curled up miserably and continued to listen quietly.

_He is so young!_ Serenity cried agitatedly. _I had thought that maybe when he was older, reaching human maturity, he would want to return to the humans' company. But now? He is not even eight years old, Ethryl! He is still a small child where humans are concerned. Are we not giving him everything he needs? Food, clothing, shelter, love and care- what more could he want? Have I failed him?_

Harry felt another stab of pain, this time for his mother. He wanted to run over to her and hug her, assuring her that his wish to leave was not her fault, but instinct made him stay still and he forced himself to listen to the rest of the conversation.

_I do not believe that it is your fault, or mine, Serenity,_ Ethryl said quietly, _Harry has merely come to realise what we have known and accepted all along- that he is different. It was bound to happen as he grew older. He cannot accompany Cathey in her lessons anymore, which makes him different from us elves. Cathey can climb the tree houses without help by now, while Harry still has to be carried everywhere. Nobody minds it, in fact, we elves enjoy Harry's company immensely, but he has started to avoid coming to our homes._

_Harry's Animagus form is a unicorn, which made him ecstatic, as you know. But its colour is black, and while all of us are extremely proud of him and admire his fur every time we see it, Harry only sees another difference, this time to the unicorns. When was the last time you have seen Harry transformed, Serenity?_

Serenity bowed her head and thought.

_You are right... it has become a rarity. But Harry's friends…_

_Are growing up and leaving Harry behind,_ Ethryl interrupted her gently. _Harry cannot accept that he is growing more slowly than his friends. He doesn't want to accept it. All he can see is that his friends are drifting apart from him once they reach a certain age, developing interests Harry cannot understand; they have even stopped playing games with him._

There was a short silence in which Serenity stood completely still.

_What do you want me to do?_ she moaned finally, _I cannot let Harry go back to those people. They hurt him; they tried to take his freedom. How can I let my foal go? I have already lost one foal, how can I lose another?_

_You are not losing him,_ Ethryl insisted firmly. _Harry, even though he cannot see it now, does have his place in our world. Part of him will always belong here. He will always speak our language, know our customs and magic. In his heart, Harry is a wild spirit, our Unicorn Child. But his destiny is not with us, Serenity. He belongs with his kind. He can visit us and we will always, gladly, take him back. But he must give the humans a chance._

There was another brief silence in which Harry strained to hear something.

_You want me to encourage him._

It was not a question; it was a statement. Ethryl nodded slowly.

_He listens to you, Serenity. You are his mother, his mum. Harry must go. He is unhappy here_.

There was another short silence, and then Serenity bowed her head once in consent. Ethryl ran his hand through her mane gratefully and left the Meadows without another word.

* * *

Over the next few says, Serenity started hinting more and more at Harry's return to the castle, and Harry decided to give the humans one more chance.

He was extremely careful this time, making sure to approach the castle in another place and to watch his back. What he saw fascinated him and Harry spent more and more of his time watching the amazing castle and its occupants.

Most of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be children of varying ages, though all of them looked older than Harry. They were all wearing identical black robes- Harry guessed that it was the school uniform.

Many of them seemed to like spending time outside; lying in the same place for hours and scribbling with strange-looking feathers on thick, yellow paper.

Others would sit in the shade of a tree with a book and read; some would lounge comfortably at the lake's shore or tease the Giant Squid Harry had discovered in there.

But the ones that fascinated Harry the most were the students carrying broomsticks through the outer part of the Forbidden Forest. At first, Harry had been confused as to why they would be sweeping the floor in a forest; but then he had decided to follow them and received one of the biggest surprises of his lifetime.

The brooms weren't used to sweep the floor- they were used to _fly_. Harry spent hours upon hours watching the students swerve around the oval-shaped pitch, avoiding the raised stands and the hoops placed on both ends.

There were three on each side.

At first, Harry had found the game they were playing awfully confusing. Some of the students were throwing a red ball around and passing it through the hoops; another- apparently some kind of goalie- was trying to intercept the ball. Then there were some students carrying clubs that seemed to have nothing better to do than hit a few black balls at the other players. Harry was horrified when one girl was hit and almost fell to the ground. Why was nobody stopping these people? Somebody could be seriously injured because of their stupidity! But no one even bothered to reprimand these students.

Harry wondered if they were a gang like Dudley and his friends had been during kindergarten; maybe everyone was simply too afraid of them to tell them to stop? That was bad. Harry didn't want to go to a school where there were bullies like Dudley.

And finally, there were some students who seemed to have nothing to do for most of the game. They just circled the pitch, flying higher than the other players or weaving in and out of them. At irregular intervals, these students would suddenly turn sharply and race through the air, flying in strange zigzagging motions. Whenever they stopped, half of the students cheered, while the other half looked disappointed. It took Harry a while to realise that these students were after a tiny, golden, winged ball that was much faster than the other balls.

Harry was fascinated by the sheer uselessness of the game; until one day, when he reached the pitch, he saw that the stands were filled with students screaming their heads off. Harry was worried at first about what had happened to frighten them so, but then he saw a flying student appear briefly above the heads of the crowd.

After that day, thanks to the commentator, Harry had managed to puzzle together the rules and principles of the game 'Quidditch'; and it became one of his favourite pastimes to watch the different teams at work.

Harry had soon figured out that there were four of them. One of the teams wore red and gold, one green and silver, one blue and bronze and one yellow and black. According to the commentator, the red team was called 'Gryffindor' and the blue team was 'Ravenclaw'. Harry had been unable to find out the names of the other two teams.

Harry's favourite player was one of the players of 'Gryffindor'- he was an older student with bright red hair who spent his games looking for the little golden ball called 'Snitch'. Harry thought that his position was called something akin to 'Searcher', but he could not remember the correct term.

The boy, 'Weasley', according to the commentator, was amazingly fast and agile in the air, he seemed to move about effortlessly and his dives were breathtaking. Harry decided that one day, when he was old enough, he would fly for 'Gryffindor' like 'Weasley'.

Sometimes, Harry found himself wanting to talk to 'Weasley', but he always shied away before he had gathered the necessary courage.

And then, of course, there were the Watchers. They were always there, scanning the edge of the Forbidden Forest with their eyes, hiding in scrubs or behind trees or sometimes even on trees and trying to be inconspicuous about it. Harry had to giggle at their attempts. Compared to the stealthy elves, these people were about as discreet as an angry rhinoceros in a library.

Over time, Harry came to know them all by looks. The ones he saw most often were the sneering, black-clad man who had almost caught Harry _That Day_; another man, who looked to be about the same age but much nicer and had lighter and shorter hair; an older woman with her hair tightly coiled in a bun; a very small man who was about Harry's size; a slightly plump, frizzy-haired woman who spent her 'shift' collecting plants and humming to herself; and finally an extremely tall, thin man with a long, white beard and long, white hair.

They didn't look too bad to Harry; in fact, with the exception of The-Man-Who-Had-Almost-Caught-Him, they looked quite nice.

One of them especially, the tired-looking young man with the light brown hair, fascinated Harry. He felt as though he had seen the man before, as though he could grasp the man's name if he only thought hard enough. At times, Harry thought that he had it, but the only thing he came up with were confusing flashes of memories and dreams. A black dog, a stag and red hair featured most prominently, as well as two pairs of eyes- one, bright green, looking exactly like Harry's; the other, a glowing amber colour.

These flashes caused Harry's head to ache abominably, and so he tried not to think about them too much.

He did, however, spend hours watching the man who was watching the forest- what was he waiting for, Harry wondered? Maybe he could go up to the man and ask? But Harry didn't dare do so. He was too afraid that the man would try to stop him like the other one had.

* * *

It was a hot summer's day and already quite late in the afternoon. Because of the terrible heat, Harry had spent most of his day in the comfortably cool elven houses with Ethryl- Cathey was off to another one of her lessons.

Harry approached the edge of the forest slowly and cautiously. Nobody was in sight.

Harry slipped soundlessly behind a particularly dense scrub and peered around. Strangely, he could not see any of the 'Watchers' that day. Harry shrugged to himself. Maybe they had found what they were looking for.

But another thing was different, and Harry wondered for a few moments what it was, before he realised… he could see no students on the grounds. This was very, very odd, considering how nice the weather was. Harry would have expected the majority of the student population to be outside in the shade below the weeping willow trees, but there was no one.

Maybe they were all at the Quidditch pitch? Harry cut through the forest quickly and came to a halt as soon as he could see the stands. They were empty and gleaming in the sunlight, the light reflexes blinding Harry. He shielded his face with his arm. Where could the students be? Why were they not enjoying the wonderful weather outside like Harry himself was?

Maybe the summer holidays had started? It was a possibility, Harry acknowledged. He was admittedly a little disappointed. There would be no humans to watch for the following few months.

As Harry slowly trudged back to the place where he always entered the forest, his small shoulders slumping a little and his bare, spell-protected feet kicking up dust and dry leaves from the ground, Harry forgot to be careful. He let down his guard. For just a few seconds, he was not watching his back.

* * *

Remus Lupin left the castle at a slow pace. It was an incredibly hot day, the first day of the summer holidays. Remus smiled happily to himself as he enjoyed the fresh air and blessed silence. He loved teaching very much; but there was never a moment of peace at Hogwarts during the school year, and Remus missed that.

He knew that he was late for his shift, but could not bring himself to care. For half a year now they had been watching the forest, and there had been no sign of Har- the boy. Remus snorted bitterly. Snape had probably scared the poor child away for good. And he couldn't even be _sure_ that the boy had been Harry. He couldn't get his hopes up.

When he was within spelling range, Remus raised his gaze from the ground and scanned the trees lazily. As usual, there was nothing special. A few magical trees swaying in a non-existent breeze, a rabbit disappearing quickly into the forest, a bird fluttering about here and there, thousands of insects, a little boy trudging along the edge looking lost in his thoughts, a-

Remus's eyes widened. The boy was starting to move further into the forest. It was true. It was all true. The little boy of the Forbidden Forest was right in front of him.

"You- _STOP!_" Remus yelled and broke into a run. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the boy.

Harry whirled around as he heard a shout behind him. The brown-haired, familiar man was hurtling towards him at top speed, brandishing what Harry knew to be a wand, like the one Voldemort had had.

Harry's eyes widened as he turned in panic and tried to disappear into the underbrush, but it was just too dense for him to move quickly. Before Harry could do anything else, he heard another shout and something hot hit him in the back.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

**__**

**__**

**_A/N_****_: _**_Please review! _

_Until next time,_

_Felinity_


	8. First Steps

_**Unicorn Child**_

**Disclaimer** _All the characters you might recognise belong to J.K. Rowling! I own nothing but the plot and those characters you do not recognise... um... The song in this chapter- you'll see what I mean- is a very rough and modified translation of a beautiful German traditional song called 'Abendlied' (Evening Song). If you type ' "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" Authorship: Translation' into google, you will reach a page where you can read both the German original and the literal English translation, which, contrary to my own translation, does not coincide with the music._

**A/N:**_ Here we are with the new chapter... thanks to my beta reader, Michael!_

____

* * *

**Chapter 7 – First Steps**

The first thing Harry became aware of was the silence. In the forest, there were always countless noises: the wind whispering in the trees, a stream rumbling in the distance, insects buzzing, birds singing. But now, there was nothing except for the quiet muttering of many voices. Human voices. Harry tensed almost imperceptibly and felt his breathing quicken.

The smell that hung in the air was off. The scent of fresh earth after a rainfall and the rustling of the undergrowth were missing. Harry couldn't smell the resin leaking from the towering trees or the faint scent of untamed wilderness that was unique to the Ancient Forest.

And then there was the surface he was sitting on. It was hard and uncomfortable, bending his back and knees in angles he was not used to. With a shudder Harry realised that for the first time in four years, he was sitting in a chair – a _human _chair.

How had this happened? How had he come to be here? Harry didn't dare open his eyes as he tried frantically to remember what had brought him into this situation. The walk. He had taken a walk to Hogwarts; there hadn't been any students or Watchers in sight. He had become lost in his thoughts and let down his guard. Then, there had been a shout; one of the Watchers was chasing him. Something streaked past him? A spell? It hit him in the back...and then nothing.

Harry's face burned in humiliation as he realised that he had been entrapped, that he had been caught by the race he had hidden from for half of his life, and that had tormented him for the other half. He had been imprisoned again by _his _race, the humans.

There was no doubt in Harry's mind that he needed to flee as quickly as possible. Whatever the humans were planning on doing to him, it was bound to be terrible just like his life at the Dursleys had been. And these were magical humans, no less. Magical humans, like Voldemort had been. Harry had had no fond feelings for his relatives, the Dursleys, but Voldemort's cruelty had still horrified him. Were all wizards like that?

The young ones Harry had been watching had seemed nice enough, but Harry was not taking any chances. He was not ready to leave the forest that had become his home over the past few years. He was not prepared to give the humans another chance, like Serenity wanted him to.

At the thought of his unicorn mother, Harry felt a pang in his heart. Were she and Ethryl already searching the forest for him? Did they know what had happened to him, that he had been caught, that his freedom had been ripped away from him forcefully and without his consent? Harry had to get away. There was no way that he was staying in this place against his will!

Praying that nobody was watching him, Harry slid his right eye open cautiously. He was sitting in a wooden chair with his back to the wall. The room Harry found himself imprisoned in was circular and nothing like any room Harry had ever seen before. There were countless portraits on the wall depicting sleeping men and women. Harry stared in wonder as he realised that the pictures were _moving_.

The sleepers' chests were rising and falling gently, and one particularly fat man opposite Harry was even snoring softly.

To Harry's right, there was a huge desk that was littered with the thick, yellow paper magical humans seemed to be using, bottles of ink and feathers. Behind the desk there was a shelf that was filled mostly with books. Harry's eyes widened as he took in this sight. What he wouldn't have given to read some of those! With the Dursleys, Harry had always had to steal books from his aunt and uncle if he wanted to read- the only book that had been his own had been his beloved fairytale book. Harry felt another pang as he remembered that his book must have been lost in the rubble of what had been the Dursleys' house.

There was also a strange hat sitting on one of the shelves. It looked extremely battered, and Harry wondered why it hadn't been thrown away yet. Across from Harry, there was a huge window. His heartbeat quickened as he caught a glimpse of the Quidditch pitch and the Ancient Forest through it.

In front of the window there were tables with strange, silver instruments that were whirring and moving constantly. Harry had never seen anything like that before.

To his left, there was an empty perch of some kind, complete with a bowl of water and a few crackers. Harry wondered idly what kind of bird lived in such a strange room as he allowed his gaze to wander on as inconspicuously as possible.

There. He had spotted the door on his left side. Harry opened his eyes fully and observed the people in the room with him cautiously. There was about fifteen of them, most of whom he had seen before as Watchers. Harry recognised the old, white-haired man, the black-haired man who had almost caught him, the stern woman with her hair up in a bun and finally the kind-looking man who was the cause of Harry's unwilling imprisonment. They were all talking in hushed voices with their heads close together. Nobody was looking in his direction.

Harry tensed his body and inwardly counted to three. Then, with a speed born from many years spent in the presence of the most graceful beings in existence, Harry rocketed himself out of the chair and hurtled into the direction of the door. He heard many surprised and dismayed exclamations and people scrambling out of their chairs to follow him, but did not dare look back.

Harry sprinted down the spiralling staircase at breakneck speed and threw himself out of the opening at the bottom. Unfortunately, Harry found himself in a corridor with no idea where to go next. He looked around frantically, as the voices behind him grew louder.

"Where'm I supposed to go?" Harry asked one of the portraits that adorned the walls fretfully, not really expecting an answer. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the portrait opened its eyes lazily and pointed to the left. With no better advice to go on, Harry took off in the indicated direction. Unfortunately, rounding the corner just brought him to another corridor, this time with three choices of where to go. In his desperation, Harry decided to stop thinking and took the middle one. There seemed to be a staircase leading downwards at its end, and Harry knew that to reach the exit of the castle, he had to go down several staircases.

Later, Harry could not remember how long he had run through the castle. Occasionally he encountered windows and noticed that he seemed to be getting closer to the ground, but after a while, even these stopped. Torches now dimly illuminated the halls and the walls were damp and mouldy. Harry had a feeling that he had maybe taken one too many staircases, as the halls gave off a definite dungeon-like atmosphere.

Scared by the nigh absolute silence, Harry could feel panic rising within him again. The walls seemed to be closing in on him and Harry ran faster and faster. Another turn, another staircase leading even further down. _No. _

A dead end.

Finally, a flight of stairs leading upwards. Another turn. Down again. _No. _

Harry's breathing grew ragged and hot tears stung in his eyes. There was no way out. He was trapped in the dark, damp hallways of this castle that suddenly held no appeal for Harry at all. He wanted to go back to the forest. He wanted to go home...

Harry stumbled as he encountered another dead end. He fell down and scraped his knees painfully on the floor. It was by no means the most terrible injury Harry had ever sustained, but in his current state of mind, it was the final straw. Harry curled up in the darkest corner he could find and cried silently.

* * *

Harry didn't know how long he had sat there, huddled against the wall with his knees hugged tightly, rocking backwards and forwards, when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. Harry fell silent, paralysed with fear and apprehension.

As the footsteps got closer, Harry could also discern angry muttering, though he did not understand the quiet words. He did, however, recognise the voice, and that did nothing to placate Harry in the slightest. For approaching at a rapid pace was one of the men Harry wanted to see least in the world: the one who had almost caught him a few months before.

While Harry was still frozen in his realisation, the man rounded the corner, and Harry could just make out the words 'little brat' and 'just like his bloody father', before the greasy-haired, hook-nosed man spotted Harry and stopped short.

They stared at each other for a few moments, Harry in terrified silence and the man with a contemptuous sneer on his face.

Harry's thoughts were racing as his eyes darted past the man to his only escape; the corridor they had both come from.

The sneer on the man's face grew more pronounced. "Well, Potter, it seems we meet again."

Harry's eyes widened. How did the man know his name?

"Will I have to restrain you this time like the rabid dog you are, or do you promise to come quietly?"

Harry weighed his options. Escape seemed out of the question at the moment, and the sneering man held a wand in his fingers, which meant that Harry would not be able to try any surprise attacks on him- not that Harry believed that any would be very effective.

Harry's unicorn pride rebelled against the idea of 'coming quietly', but it seemed like the wisest option in Harry's mind. At least he would not be bound physically or magically, which left him free to look for other means of an escape later on.

His mind made up, Harry cautiously got up from the floor and looked mistrustfully at the now scowling man.

"Are you mute as well as rabid, Potter? Or have you not been taught that it is polite to answer when spoken to? Then again," the man's scornful gaze trailed over Harry's worn leather clothing to his bare feet and back to Harry's dirty face and tangled mess of hair, lingering briefly on the gold and silver leaf Harry still carried around his neck (Harry hid it from view protectively, which caused the man to sneer once more), "considering the company you've apparently kept the last few years, probably not."

It was Harry's turn to glare at the man. He did not take kindly to beings that insulted the only family he had ever known.

The man, however, seemed completely unfazed by a half-civilised boy's ire and merely jerked his head in the direction of the corridor imperiously. Defeated for now, Harry allowed the man to seize his shoulder in an almost painful grip to steer him along.

Harry's hopes for an escape were soon squashed completely. Every time Harry even so much as thought about an opportunity, the grip on his shoulder tightened painfully. It was as though the man could read Harry's thoughts, a notion Harry found highly disconcerting.

They were back at the strange stone gargoyle that hid the entrance to the room Harry had fled from earlier. The man dragged him roughly up the stairs and sat him down forcefully in one of the chairs in the deserted room. Ropes shot out of his wand and wound themselves tightly around Harry's wrists and ankles, effectively tying him to the uncomfortable wooden chair. Harry struggled unhappily, but the bonds would not give.

Meanwhile, the man had raised his wand to his throat and muttered, "Sonorus." When he spoke next, his voice was so loud that Harry's by instincts sharpened sense of hearing caused him to wince.

"All professors back to the headmaster's office! I've got Potter here. Quietus."

Harry bit his lip nervously as they waited. He thought longingly of the forest, of his family... was Serenity looking for him? Were the other unicorns? What about Ethryl, Cathey and all the elves? Harry yearned to see them again, to talk to them again; he wanted to feel Serenity's soft fur in his fingers and he wanted to be hugged like a son by Ethryl. He wanted to laugh with Cathey and to explore the forest with his unicorn friends; he wanted to transform into his own unicorn form and run with the others. He wanted to feel the wind in his face and hair, feel the soft, mossy forest ground beneath his feet, smell the fresh, sweet scent of pine needles and resin...

Harry was almost unaware of the low, keening sound he was emitting, which was a unicorn's way of transmitting deep pain or despair.

Harry's eyes were glued to the small bit of the Ancient Forest he could see through the room's window, and his mind was so occupied with thoughts of freedom that he did not notice the other professors' return.

What he did notice was the gentle hand on his right shoulder. Harry flinched back instinctively. No human had ever touched him in kindness, nor did Harry believe one ever would.

"I am not going to hurt you," the wizard standing in front of Harry said gently. Harry knew him by sight; it was the tall, white-haired and white-bearded man with the funny, half moon-shaped glasses and colourful clothes. He was smiling kindly at Harry, but Harry did not relax. If anything, it made him tense even more.

Why was the man kind to him? What did he want? Was he going to send Harry to an orphanage, where, according to the Dursleys, he would be beaten, starved and hated because of his magic?

"My name is Professor Dumbledore," the old man continued soothingly, "are you going to tell us your name?"

Harry's eyes darted past the man to the window. If only he could leave this room and go back to his family in the forest...! These people could ask him questions, but Harry would not answer any of them.

When it became clear to the people in the room that Harry was going to remain silent, Professor Dumblore, or whatever he was called, spoke again.

"Well, you do not need to tell us who you are, if you do not wish to, of course until you do, we will simply call you 'Harry'. Is that acceptable to you?"

Harry did not react. His thoughts were racing. He could try to break the bonds by transforming into his animal form, unless... Harry expanded his senses to his bonds and felt the tingle of magic in his mind. His hopes were, once again, dashed. The ropes would only strangle Harry, were he to try and transform.

"...old you are?" They were all staring at Harry curiously and impatiently. The impatience reminded him a lot of the Dursleys, and Harry suppressed a terrified whimper.

Professor Dumblore finally seemed to give up and looked helplessly at the other professors.

The young, brown-haired man Harry had watched with interest for so many months stood and approached Harry hesitantly. He knelt down to be on eye level with Harry and smiled tentatively. "Hello, Harry," he said gently, "I am Remus Lupin. You probably don't remember me, but I was good friends with your parents."

Harry could feel his eyes widen in surprise. This was why the man had always seemed so familiar all the time! He had seen him before, he had known him! For a moment, Harry was tempted to talk to the man, but then his gaze reverted to the other people in the room again and he shrank back.

"Oh, for pity's sake, Lupin, this is not going to work," the hook-nosed man spoke up with his, apparently, customary sneer. "Potter won't talk this way; you will obviously have to employ a little more force."

"Severus," Professor Dumblore said warningly, "I really don't think –"

But Severus had already reached Harry's chair and raised his arm. For one endless, terrifying moment, Harry thought that he was going to hit him, then the hand came down at an incredible pace and closed around the beautiful leaf that symbolised Harry's friendship with the Surrey forest animals. A short yank, and the delicate, silver chain that had held it around Harry's neck ripped with a single, metallic note.

The years-old charm had been broken, and the chain reverted back to the frozen blade of grass it had originally been.

"NO!" Harry shouted in horror, writhing desperately in his bonds. "This is mine! You're going to break it, give it back to me!"

"Ah," the greasy man said with a smug smirk, "so you can talk."

But Harry didn't care that he had just lost an important psychological battle. All he cared about was the small, fragile magical leaf in the man's hand.

"Now that we have ascertained that you are by no means mute," the sneering man continued, "are you willing to give us your name?"

When Harry's eyes remained fixed on the leaf, the man sneered even more.

"I suggest answering our question, Potter, or your little... talisman... here will be no more."

Harry stared at the man pale-faced. "It's not a talisman," he whispered, "It's- it's not mine to give and not yours to take!"

The man raised his eyebrows. "It's not yours? Who would have thought, the great Harry Potter, a thief?"

Harry bristled visibly as his fiery temper flared. "I'm not a thief!" he shouted angrily. "This was given to me by a friend, and I'm taking care of it!"

'Severus' seemed completely unfazed. "Well, then," he said smoothly, "if you want your... present... back, why don't we make a deal?"

Harry looked at him mistrustfully. "What's a deal?" If he had known the word at the Dursleys', Harry could not remember it, and he was quite sure that he had never encountered it during his time with the unicorns.

The sneering man, Severus, looked briefly exasperated. "It's an agreement," he hissed impatiently, again making Harry flinch in remembrance. "An agreement made between two parties to satisfy both of them."

Harry blinked, bewildered. "Parties?" he questioned innocently. Aunt Petunia had sometimes been to parties with Uncle Vernon, that much Harry remembered. And there had always been parties on Dudley's birthdays, though Harry had naturally never been allowed to attend.

Severus ran a hand through his greasy, limp hair in apparent agitation. "Two parties are two groups or people with opposing or at least differing opinions. Got it?" He looked so menacing that Harry wouldn't have dared say 'no', even if he hadn't understood the explanation. He nodded timidly.

"So, er," Harry said quietly. "What _deal_ are you talking about?"

The man took a deep breath, as if he was trying to calm himself down. "You promise to stay at the castle with an appointed guardian," he began, "answer all our questions truthfully and follow the rules. In return, you will get this little piece of junk back and be allowed to do as you please, as long as your guardian condones it."

Harry could feel new despair welling inside of him. "What if I don't like the deal?" he asked tightly.

Severus sneered. "That would be most unfortunate, Potter," he mocked softly, "because we're not giving you a choice. The only difference is that you will not get your talisman back, even though you will still be forced to stay here. Though Merlin only knows why anyone would want _you_ around."

Many of the other people in the room, including Professor Dumblore and Remus Lupin, looked outraged and made as if to talk, yet Severus waved them off harshly.

Angry tears blurred Harry's vision as he realised that this time, he was well and truly bound.

"What shall it be, young Potter?" Severus whispered mercilessly.

Harry gathered what remained of his shattered dignity and composure and forced himself to meet the vile man's cruel, glittering and oh-so-cold beetle-black eyes proudly. "I promise to stay at the castle," he whispered, feeling terribly humiliated. "I promise to answer your questions, and I will try to follow your rules, though I do not know them. I would also like to be permitted to visit my family in the forest."

"That shall be up to your new guardian." The man sneered at Harry contemptuously one last time and threw the enchanted leaf down on Harry's lap. He released Harry's wrists with a quick flick of his wand, making the ropes fall away.

Harry cradled the leaf to his chest protectively and transfigured the sad, dangling blade of grass back into a delicate, silver chain, which he put around his neck. Then Harry bent down quickly and severed the ropes that still tied his ankles to the chair with a simple, elven charm. As soon as his limbs were free, Harry got up from the uncomfortable chair and backed away until he was leaning against the soft, carpeted wall.

They were all staring at him incredulously and Harry wondered whether he had done something wrong.

"You have control of your magic!" the middle-aged woman with her hair up in a tight bun blurted out loudly.

Harry thought that this was an odd exclamation for a witch working at a school designed to teach magical children just that. "Yes," he said slowly. Then, uncertainly, "don't you?"

The woman looked flustered at Harry's answer and the amused titters of most of her colleagues. "Of course I do," she said briskly, "but at your age...?"

"I'm almost eight!" Harry said indignantly.

"Yes," the white-haired man interfered swiftly. "Your birthday is the thirty-first of July, isn't it, Harry?"

Harry furrowed his brow in thought. He had, of course, known the names of the months in his time at the Dursleys', but the memories had faded and gone hazy with time. (Besides, the Dursleys had never celebrated Harry's birthday, anyway.)

"The thirty-first of July," Harry said uncertainly, "is that at the end of the seventh moon?" Staring, always staring. Harry felt trapped and vulnerable under the intense gazes and pressed himself further into the wall. The fluffy wall carpet felt reassuring between Harry's fingers as he gripped it tightly. Unicorns did not appreciate human stares, and Harry had adopted their disposition wholeheartedly. The 'office' seemed to become smaller around Harry, as if the walls were closing in on him.

Harry felt caged. His breath was coming in quick gasps. He needed to get out of this room with all the people in it; he needed to –

Professor Dumblor stood quickly and crossed the room in three big strides, throwing the window wide open. The faint sounds of the distant forest penetrated Harry's dazed, panicking mind, and gentle scents of moss and pine needles tickled his sensitive nose, thus calming Harry's frazzled nerves.

His death grip on the carpet relaxed marginally and his breathing slowed. The urge to run was replaced by a deep, aching yearning in Harry's chest. He wanted his unicorn mother and Ethryl; he wanted them so badly that he could hardly hold back the stinging tears of anger, fear and loneliness. "Why do you keep me here?" he whispered.

Nobody seemed to want to answer the soft, desperate accusation for a moment, but then the man who had introduced himself as Remus Lupin stepped forward hesitantly and crouched in front of Harry. Their eyes were now almost on the same level.

"Harry," the familiar stranger whispered, "you _are_ Harry, aren't you?"

Harry nodded.

A quick, sunny smile played around the man's mouth. "You belong in this world," he continued gently, "at Hogwarts. Your parents were human wizards, and so are you. So are all of us here. Hogwarts is a school for young wizards like you, and in a few years, you will be taught here with your peers. We want you to be part of this world."

The man raised his hand slowly and Harry watched it warily, poised to run. But Remus Lupin merely tucked a strand of Harry's long, tangled hair behind his ear in a gesture that felt strangely paternal. It made Harry's insides grow warm.

"I know you have come to expect no kindness from us humans and wizards. But we genuinely care about you, Harry. I was one of your parents' closest friends. I know that they would have wanted you to grow up with one of us. When they –"and here he paused, as if what he was going to say pained him greatly, "when Lily and James died, I tried to get custody of you. That means that I tried to get permission to raise you as my own son."

Harry stared. Someone had wanted him?

"My request was denied because of – special circumstances of mine..."

Harry cocked his head to the side in confusion. What special circumstances? He felt the kind man again with his senses and discovered another reason for the strange sense of familiarity and belonging he had always felt around him. "You're a shapechanger," Harry said knowingly, "a child of the forest. I can sense it. I have heard that many humans are afraid of your kind. But I'm not. Several of my best friends are wolves, even though they don't change."

They were, again, staring at him incredulously. Harry could feel some of the old panic rising and clenched his fists tighter around the carpet.

"Well," Remus Lupin breathed, "you are quite right. I am a registered werewolf, albeit not a well-known one, and so my request was denied. You were sent to live with your relations, the Dursleys, under heavy wards and protective shields. Three years later to the day, those wards alerted us to danger at your house. When we arrived, the house was a crumbled ruin, your relatives were discovered dead, there was evidence that Lord Voldemort himself had entered the house and never left it, and you, Harry, had vanished without a single trace."

Harry averted his eyes, the memory of that terrible night catching up with him once more. The green light, the laughter, the screaming, the betrayal, and most of all, the terror, the hopelessness, the all-consuming fear.

"We've been looking for you for almost four years. And now that we've finally found you, we are not about to let you slip away again. It's been so long, Harry. No one thought that you were still alive."

Harry penetrated the man's gaze with his own. Was he lying? Was he, unbelievably, telling the truth? Harry could sense no insincerity coming from the friendly werewolf.

"The ministry thinks you're dead now," Remus Lupin continued, "which gives us a little more leeway. If you'd like, I could , well, I could be your new guardian. It would be all right as long as you stayed elsewhere on full moons?"

Harry thought about it quickly. The young man seemed nice, his wild werewolf form gave him a certain connection to Harry, he had apparently known Harry's human parents well and seemed to like him, Harry, very much. "Yes," Harry breathed, "I think I'd like that."

The man smiled his quick, sunny smile again and offered Harry his hand. "Thank you, Harry. You may call me Remus."

Harry took Remus's hand and allowed himself to be led back to the table. Professor Dumblor and most of the other people in the room were beaming at him and his new guardian.

"I will have the house-elves move your belongings to bigger quarters," the professor said. Harry noticed that his light blue eyes seemed to be twinkling when he was happy. "There is a nice suite of rooms overlooking the lake that I trust you will find quite satisfying."

He clapped his hands twice and one of the strangest creatures Harry had ever seen appeared.

"Tipsy," said Professor Dumblor with a kind smile, "please move Professor Lupin's things into the empty suite in the west wing."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore, Sir," the creature said with a low bow and vanished with a resounding 'crack'.

"Well, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said kindly, "why don't you take a seat?"

Harry squirmed uncomfortably. "I – I'd rather not," he mumbled. "The chairs, they're – they're not very comfortable."

"My apologies," Professor Dumbledore agreed jovially. With a swish of his wand, the back and armrests of the chair had disappeared, while the seat had been fashioned with a soft, purple cushion.

"Thank you," Harry said, surprised and sat down Indian style on his new... platform.

On the other end of the room, 'Severus' started to close the window.

"Don't, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted him sharply, "Harry here is suffering from claustrophobia. Quite understandable, considering that he has spent the past four years out in the open."

Remus seemed to notice Harry's bewilderment. "It means that you don't like to be in small, enclosed spaces," he explained in a conspiratory whisper.

Harry giggled. Professor Dumbledore was right, though.

"Harry," the latter addressed him, "would you mind answering a few of our questions now?"

Harry remembered his promise to 'Severus' darkly and shook his head.

"You don't need to answer if a question makes you uncomfortable, Harry," Remus said quickly. 

Harry gave him a shy, grateful smile.

"Let's start with something simple, all right? When you talk about your family in the forest, whom are you talking about?"

Harry shifted a little to get comfortable despite the stares. "I'm talking about my mum," he said softly. "Her name is Serenity. There's also Stardust, her son, who's like an older brother to me, and Cassiopeia. She's one of my friends. Then there's Ethryl, who is like my dad, and Cathey. She's my big sister and best friend. I have many friends in the forest."

"Well, that sounds wonderful, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said soothingly, "can you also tell us _what_ they are?"

Harry frowned. "What they – oh! Serenity, Cassy and Stardust are unicorns. Ethryl and Cathey are elves."

There was an outbreak of mutterings around the room. Even the portraits seemed to be conversing excitedly.

"You – you live with unicorns?" Remus asked incredulously.

Harry, not understanding their behaviour, nodded. "Serenity found me when – after – after the Dursleys. I've been living with her and her group of unicorns ever since."

This caused another bout of excitement.

"And you've been communicating with the help of the elves, I presume?" a tiny man sitting at the table squeaked. He was about as tall as Harry.

"Oh, no," Harry said, surprised. "Unicorns have their own language. Serenity used unicorn bonding magic on me at first, which allowed me to understand her. Later, I learned to speak their language. The elves live here in the Ancient Forest, not in Surrey! There wouldn't be enough magic there to keep them alive."

"When did you move here?" Remus inquired curiously.

Harry had to think about that question for a while. "Four winters ago, I think,"he concluded uncertainly. "I was four."

"So, directly after the Dursleys!" Remus breathed in wonder.

"No," said Harry. "It was after Christmas. Feb – Febuary? Yes?"

"February," Professor Dumbledore corrected absent-mindedly, seemingly half to himself. "They moved here in the middle of winter? What madness..." he broke off, looked at Harry piercingly. "I imagine that must have been hard?"

Harry shuddered at the memory. "Hard, yes," he said solemnly. "We had no choice but to move. Humans were coming to destroy our forest. We lost many friends on the way – Wolves, foxes, stags... even unicorns. I almost died. It was too cold for me, there was no food and the unicorns' magic was exhausted."

"And so you arrived here in the Ancient Forest three and a half years ago and lived right under our noses, and nobody ever knew." Remus mused, his voice tinged with both annoyance and amusement.

"Not many humans dare enter the forest," Harry offered cautiously. "Only Hagrid, and the Potions Master. Him." He nodded at 'Severus'.

"Yeh've seen us?" Hagrid asked, astonished. "Yeh've seen us in the forest?"

"No," said Harry shyly, "but some of the elves have."

"Blimey," Hagrid muttered, scratching his big, hairy head. "Ne'er knew, I didn't."

"Thank you, Harry, for answering our questions," Professor Dumbledore said gently. "There is, of course, one more question we must ask, concerning the events of the night you left the Dursleys."

Harry paled instantly.

"However," Professor Dumbledore continued soothingly, "since it is already quite late, and since you are obviously not comfortable with answering this particular question yet, we will leave it for another night. Remus, why don't you show young Harry here to your new quarters? The password is 'Whomping Willow', I believe. You may, of course, change it."

Harry looked to the window and saw that the sun had already sunk quite low. It had to be around the ninth hour and night was falling. He felt another stab of homesickness as he realised that it was high time for him to return to the meadows...

Remus tugged his hand gently and Harry stumbled to his feet. His gaze never left window while they crossed the room, and as the polished oak doors obscured his view of the only home he had ever known, Harry could feel his heart break a little.

* * *

They were silent on their way through the confusing halls. Remus's warm hand around his own, smaller one comforted Harry slightly as they followed a path only his new guardian could see.

When they finally stopped in front of the portrait of a lovely willow tree, Harry was quite sure of two things: one, that he would never find his way around this place; and two, that this place would never, ever be his home. They could keep him there as long as they liked, they could break his silver and gold leaf, they could hurt him, like the Dursleys had, but they could never, ever force him to feel at home. Harry's home was the forest and he vowed that it would always remain this way.

"Whomping Willow," Remus said clearly, which confused Harry for a second. Then the portrait swung aside and he realised that it had to have been some kind of password.

Remus climbed through the resulting hole and beckoned Harry to follow him.

The room they had entered appeared to be some kind of sitting room. There was a fire burning merrily in the fireplace and several dark red couches and armchairs stood facing it around a low, dark, wooden table. In another corner of the room there was what Harry recognised to be a dining table with several chairs surrounding it. Bookcases shrouded the walls, already filled with more books than Harry had ever seen. There were little trinkets placed randomly between them, giving the room a lived-in, homely feel.

The wall opposite the door was made almost entirely of glass, giving Harry and Remus a wonderful view over the lake and part of the forest. The floor was covered by soft, fluffy, beige carpeting.

Remus went to one of the four doors leading from the spacious, bright room and opened it. Harry could just catch a glimpse of a desk and even more bookshelves, before he closed it again. "Study," he said to Harry with a wan smile.

The next door opened to show the master bedroom, the third one hid Harry's own room (Harry was startled to learn that he wouldn't be sent to sleep in a cupboard), and the last door led to a vast and luxurious bathroom.

"Well," Remus said with his friendly smile, "a bath is in order, don't you agree?"

Harry grimaced. He _had_ bathed in the river just that morning and felt clean enough, but apparently, by human standards, he wasn't.

Remus steered him into the bathroom with gentle force and helped him out of his clothes and into the big tub.

Harry almost screamed when he entered the water – it was much too warm! There had never been warm water in the forest, and Aunt Petunia had always refused to waste anything but ice-cold water on him. "It's too hot," Harry gasped out.

Remus flicked his wand quickly and the water cooled down a little. "Better?" he asked concernedly.

Harry nodded. The warm water actually felt pleasant against his skin, and Harry, for the first time in his life, found himself _enjoying_ a bath.

The next hour was spent washing all the grime he had never noticed before off his body. Remus had to wash Harry's hair with shampoo – a horrible, cool substance that burned in Harry's eyes when he had opened them despite Remus's instructions. Remus tormented him three times with the shampoo until he was satisfied with his hair's state of cleanness. Then, he used a quick trimming spell to shorten it until it was just long enough to be tucked behind Harry's ears. Another spell took care of Harry's finger- and foot nails.

After the bath and a drying charm, Harry was wrapped in a large, fluffy towel and herded into his bedroom. Remus lit a fire in Harry's fireplace and removed the curtains from around Harry's bed. "You can have them back whenever you want", he said, "I just don't think that you would appreciate them now, since you don't like small spaces."

Remus then transfigured the towel into a nice pair of pyjamas and helped Harry into them. When Harry was safely tucked into the uncomfortably soft bed, Remus made to exit the room. He hesitated in the doorway and turned back to face Harry slowly, as though a heavy load was weighing him down.

"I know you don't want to be here, Harry," he said softly. "I can see it in your eyes and it is written all over your face. I know you miss your friends and family out in the forest and would like nothing more than to return to them..." He hesitated once more, his head bowed. "If, in a reasonable amount of time, I still feel that you are unhappy here and that you will never be able to see this world as your own, I will let you go, Harry. I promise you that. But..."

Remus released the door handle and approached Harry's bed again, sitting next to him and bringing a hand up to stroke Harry's soft cheek, smiling painfully. "I would like you to give us a fair chance, Harry. Don't try to be unhappy here until I say that you can leave. Try to learn as much as you can about this world; and try to get to know us and to fit in. You never know, you might just be happy here at Hogwarts. Will you promise to give it a go, Harry? Please?"

The pleading was so honest and intense and his voice so open and sad that Harry could not resist. "I promise," he whispered for the second time that day, and this time, he really meant it.

Remus's smile was the sunniest yet and he kissed Harry's forehead quickly before leaving the room with a soft 'goodnight'.

* * *

It was deadly silent after Remus's footsteps had faded away. The silence seemed heavy and oppressive to Harry, who was used to the sounds of a magic forest at night. After a while, Harry could stand it no longer. He got up quietly, padded over to the window and threw it wide open. The window ledge was big and comfortably cushioned and Harry sank down on it gratefully.

He hugged his knees to his chest, laid his chin down on his knees and stared outside into the fading dusk. It was a beautiful night; birds were singing, crickets chirping and there was a gentle breeze rustling the trees in the distant forest.

Yet none of this was a comfort to Harry.

The thought of being caught in this castle, imprisoned against his will, even though the occupants were treating him nicely, ("For now," Harry muttered to himself darkly,) was almost unbearable. There was a nearly physical pain in his chest whenever he thought about his unicorn mum. By now, she would have realised that he, Harry, would not be returning to the meadows that night. The elves would be notified, and every being old and strong enough would be searching for Harry at this very moment.

The thoughts of his family brought Harry's homesickness back full force and he let loose a cry full of despair and loneliness, in unicorn language, so high that it was but a gust of wind to human ears.

* * *

"Harry... _Harry_... wake up, Harry..."

Sunlight tickled Harry's eyelids and an insistent, if gentle hand was shaking his shoulder. Harry frowned sleepily and opened his eyes. For a moment, he did not know where he was. Why was he in a closed room, sitting on a padded window ledge and wearing cloth pyjamas? And who was...

As the memories came rushing back, Remus gave him a tentative smile. "Good morning, Harry. Normally, I'd invite you to breakfast now, but there's something I think you'd like to see."

Harry rubbed his eyes with his fists. "Whassit?" he mumbled blearily. His back was aching and Harry vowed never to fall asleep on a window ledge ever again.

"I think you'd better come," Remus muttered. He conjured soft shoes for Harry's feet and Harry put them on immediately. They felt very strange to him.

Then Remus led Harry out of their suite and through the endless corridors of the castle. Harry lost his orientation completely before they reached what was apparently the entrance hall, judging by the opened doors to their left. In the hall, there stood most of the people Harry had met the night before, and, incredibly...

"Ethryl!" Harry shouted, overjoyed. He jumped the last six or seven steps to the floor and ran to meet the only father figure he had ever known. Ethryl opened his arms with a wordless smile and caught Harry easily.

"Why, I didn't know your hair was black, Harry," he teased gently. "I've only ever seen it brown and tangled before."

Harry smiled and laid his head down on the elf's shoulder. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," said Ethryl. "Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry nodded happily. "Will you take me back to the forest?"

Ethryl's face grew serious. "I cannot, Harry. You know that. You gave the humans your word, and..."

"... unicorns can't break their word, and because I've bonded with mum, I can't either. I know." Harry's last hopes had crumbled and his eyes filled with tears. "I'm stuck here, then?"

Ethryl clucked his tongue and adjusted his hold on Harry. "Don't look at me like this, Little One. Yes, you must stay at the castle. It is not the end of the world. They have been treating you with kindness, haven't they?"

"They have," Harry whispered, the tears spilling over. "Don't leave me here..." he added hopelessly.

"I must, Harry. There is not enough magic on these grounds to sustain me..., too many dampening protective wards. I will come and visit you as often as I am able to."

"Serenity...?"

"Is beside herself with worry. She heard your cry last night through your bond. This is how we knew where you were. She will be waiting for you at the edge of the forest this afternoon at the fifth hour."

Ethryl's eyes turned to face Remus and hardened. "You are the one taking care of him?"

Remus nodded, looking a little pale.

"You will treat him with respect and kindness."

It was not a question, but Remus nodded again, fervently.

"You will never raise a hand against him or shout at him in anger."

Remus nodded, looking appalled.

"Good," said Ethryl in a hard voice. "He's had enough of that with his... relatives.

"You will allow him to see any of us whenever he wants."

"Yes," Remus agreed quickly.

"You will listen to and be there for him whenever he needs you."

"Yes."

"You will respect his needs and wishes and try to fulfil them to the best of your abilities."

"Yes."

"You will provide shelter, food and decent clothing for him."

"Yes, of course."

"You will die to save him if the need arises."

"I, what! I mean, of course I will!"

"You will love him and care for him with all your heart."

"I will," Remus whispered.

"Then you deserve to have him."

Ethryl transferred Harry from his arms to Remus's carefully, and Harry did not protest, for it would have been futile. Remus's arms were warm and strong around him, just like Ethryl's, and for the first time, Harry felt that Remus could become another father to him.

Ethryl, meanwhile, had turned to face all of the humans. "We do not approve of the way Harry was lured into your midst," he said loudly and strongly, "nor do we approve of the way he was made to stay here with no choice at all. It was wrong and despicable of you. However, now that Harry is bound to you through his word, we expect you to take good care of him. Harry is very precious to us, as elven children are extremely rare and Harry has been adopted into the fold years ago. You humans had no right to take Harry from us."

Ethryl's eyes were blazing with power.

"If we ever hear even one single word of complaint from Harry about any of you, that person will face the combined wrath of every elf, unicorn, shapechanger, centaur, wolf, fox and bird living in this forest and the ones surrounding it, and our wrath shall be terrible. You have been warned."

Ethryl's eyes softened as he turned back to Harry. "I must go now, Unicorn Child," he said gently. "I must tell the others that they can stop looking for you. Farewell, and I will see you soon."

Ethryl kissed Harry's forehead much like Remus had done the night before and turned swiftly.

And Harry watched his tall and proud back disappear down the gently sloping lawn with his head on Remus's shoulder and a small, sad smile on his face.

* * *

Nobody moved until Ethryl had disappeared into the forest.

"Well," Remus said at last, sounding a little shaken, "breakfast, I should think. Harry?"

Harry nodded and tightened his arms around Remus's neck. He felt a sudden urge to be held protectively and clung to his new prospective father as they entered a great hall with a seemingly transparent ceiling.

"It is enchanted," Remus explained. "It shows the sky outside."

Harry buried his face in Remus's neck and refused to move even after they had sat down.

"Hey," Remus said gently, "How are we supposed to eat with you clinging to me like this?"

But Harry tightened his hold. The strange voices, faces, smells, sounds, the stares... it had all suddenly become too much. Remus, who was being so nice to Harry; Remus, of whom Ethryl had approved, was now Harry's only hold in this big, terrifying new world. Harry did not let go of Remus despite his coaxing for surely he, Harry, would be drifting alone and totally lost in the sea of unfamiliarity until he drowned if he did. And Remus would be taken away from him like Serenity and Ethryl.

"I believe that you and young Harry should maybe return to your quarters, Remus," Dumbledore advised after a few minutes.

"Yes, I think we will," Remus mumbled. "Excuse us." He adjusted his hold on his clingy new charge and got up with some difficulty.

The way back to their suite was, again, silent. Harry kept up his tight hold and Remus rubbed soothing circles on his back.

"Whomping Willow." Remus made his way over to the couch and sank down on it with a groan. "You're quite heavy after a while, d'you know that?" he teased.

Harry refused to budge. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only thing moving being Remus's hand on Harry's back.

"You know what my mother always did for me when I wanted comfort?" Remus said quietly. He didn't seem to mind Harry's silence. "She used to sing to me. There's one song I always loved more than any of the others. It is still my favourite even after all these years, and I'm going to sing it to you now."

Remus cleared his throat and Harry turned his head a little in interest. Nobody had ever sung to him before. Remus's voice was soft and soothing as he sang,

"The silver moon has risen,

the golden stars are shining

in heaven bright and clear,

the trees stand dark and silent

and from the meadows rises

the wondrous, mystical white mist.

How is the world so silent

And in the veil of twilight

So cosy and so fair

Just as a silent chamber

Where all day's woe and squalor

You shall forget and sleep away..."

They sat in comfortable silence after Remus had finished. Harry had relaxed his death grip on Remus's neck. He felt peaceful and drowsy and decided to open up a little, like Remus had done for him.

"Aunt Petunia never used to sing to me." Harry said softly.

Remus never stilled his hand. "Really, Harry? That is sad. It's very nice, having someone sing to you."

They were silent for another while before Harry had gathered enough courage to speak. "She always sang to Dudley," Harry whispered haltingly, "but never to me."

This time, there was a hitch in the motion of Remus's hand, and his other arm tightened a little. "That was not very nice of her,"he said gently.

There was another silence, this one stretching for a few minutes, before Harry felt daring enough to speak up again. "She had a horrible voice," he whispered, "all high and shrill. And she never hit the right notes. Not like you. But I always wished..."

Harry faltered.

"Oh, Harry," Remus whispered brokenly, "I will sing to you every night before you go to sleep, until you are so sick of it that you hex me out of your room."

Harry smiled. "Will you tuck me in, like she did for Dudley, too? Will you hug me and kiss me 'goodnight'?"

"Of course I will, Harry." Remus assured him.

Harry's smile widened and he slowly loosened his hold until he sat upright. "What about breakfast, then?" he asked, as it had suddenly occurred to him just how hungry he was.

"An excellent idea," Remus agreed brightly, "Shall we eat here rather than in the Great Hall?"

Harry nodded fervently. "Yes, please."

Remus clapped his hands twice, like Professor Dumbledore had done the night before, and another one of the strange creatures appeared.

"How can Twinkly help you, Sirs?" it squeaked enthusiastically.

"Breakfast for two, please, Twinkly." Remus said with a kind smile.

The creature popped out of sight and reappeared a moment later with a huge tray, which it set down upon the dining table.

"Thank you, Twinkly," Remus said, and the creature vanished with a low bow and a squeaked "It was Twinkly's pleasure, Sirs!".

Harry's eyes widened as he took in the mountains of food on the table. "We're – we're supposed to eat all that?"

Remus grinned. "Not all of it. Just as much as we want." He picked up one of the plates and started shovelling food onto it. "Scrambled eggs, Harry? They make them excellent here at Hogwarts. And bacon, of course? And you simply must try one of these sausages. They're wonderful..."

Harry shook his head in wonder. Maybe, just maybe, this new world wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

_A/N_: _I hope you liked it... please review!_

_Until next time,_

_Felinity _


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